Alone in the Crowd (The Chronicles of Anna Foster Book 3)

by Patrick Stutzman

  ALONE IN THE CROWD

  by

  Patrick Stutzman

  Alone in the Crowd

  © 2013 by Patrick Stutzman

  Cover Art © 2013 by Tomomi Ink

  All rights reserved.

  All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material contained herein is prohibited without express written permission of the author.

  Dedication

  For Michelle, Alexandrya, and Rebecca.

  Acknowledgments

  Special Thanks to Laurel Kriegler for saving me and this book

  Chapter 1

  “Good morning, Jason.”

  No response.

  “Good morning, Jason.”

  Again, no response.

  “Good morning, Jason.”

  The blonde, curly-haired man shifted in his bunk, blinked, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand, taking extra care not to wake the young brunette sleeping next to him.

  “Good morning, Jason.” The computer’s repeated statement in a sultry, mezzo-soprano voice finally breached his consciousness.

  Raising a finger to his lips, he quietly shushed the computer and looked down at the sleeping woman’s face. Kissing his fingertips, he gingerly touched her lips for a second and smiled before climbing out from under the covers.

  “You need to…”

  “Computer,” Jason hastily instructed with a hushed voice, cutting off its statement. “Decrease volume to thirty percent.”

  Much quieter, the computer began again, “You need to get dressed, Jason. We are expected to arrive at Haven later today, and the colony administrator wishes to speak with everyone before you arrive.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He walked to the window while scratching his bare bottom. “I know.”

  “Ms. Armstrong currently has her conference scheduled for eleven hundred hours.”

  “What time is it now?”

  “The current time is seven hundred one hours, Jason.”

  He nodded absentmindedly while he observed the stars moving past outside the vessel, confirming that they were still in transit. Trying and failing to stifle a yawn, he shook his head to shatter the grogginess and lightly scratched his chest, letting the thin metal dog tags dance over the back of his fingers. Dropping his gaze to the identification necklace around his neck, he studied them for a few seconds as if he had never seen them before and struggled to ignore the unexpected erection growing from his loins.

  Shaking his head in mild amusement, he thought back to the events of the previous night. The dinner he had eaten with Catherine had led to dancing in the colony ship’s forward observation lounge before they had retired to his quarters for more carnal pursuits. He still smelled her on his lips and smiled, knowing it was her scent that inspired his libido so soon after waking.

  Enamored by the memories, he turned to watch her, only to find her already awake and watching him while propped up on one arm, the white sheet carelessly crumpled around her hips to expose what he believed to be the most beautiful pair of breasts in existence.

  “Good morning, Jason.” She grinned, appearing satisfied. “Sleep well?”

  “Always, when I’m next to you,” he replied, crossing his arms while leaning back against the wall.

  Catherine beamed for a second, her eyes darting downward for a split second as Jason leaned back. “How long have you been up?”

  “Just a couple of minutes. I was looking outside to see what was going on.”

  “Probably the same thing as the past few weeks: nothing. I would think that your attention would be focused inside.”

  “That’s what the computer is telling me. We’re supposed to have this conference with the administrator today before we land at our new home.”

  She flipped the covers behind her and rose out of bed. “She’s probably going to say the same old stuff she’s supposed to tell every other colonist that goes out to these new worlds. Something about how we’re the new pioneers of the human race and it’s important that we do the right thing to ensure the survival of the colony. Blah! Blah! Blah!”

  Thinking back to the beginning of the trip, Jason remembered meeting her for the first time as they boarded. He had spotted Catherine standing in line in front of him and, no matter how hard he tried, could not stop staring at her ass. After being caught red-handed and trying to play it off, something had clicked between them, and they had started dating. As time progressed, her attitude toward the mission grew less and less enthusiastic, and she was dragging him down with her. In spite of the feelings he had for her, he hoped that their arrival would renew his interest.

  She casually rose out of bed and stepped in front of him, gently rubbing his chest when she arrived. “Right now, all I care about is making sure we wake up the right way.”

  Catherine leaned up, enticing him to meet her halfway in a passionate kiss. She broke away a few seconds later with a sly smile on her face just before kneeling on the floor before him. Jason gasped for a second before accompanying the sound with a soft moan as they began their morning ritual.

  * * * * *

  Jason and Catherine strolled into the spacious meeting room, holding hands and laughing aloud. Looking into each other’s eyes much like they were high school sweethearts, they stopped walking, taking notice of the sudden drop in the surrounding background noise. Their laughter stopped abruptly as they simultaneously turned their heads to discover everybody seated, except for the lone speaker standing behind the transparent podium at the front of the room, and staring right at them. Jason felt his face heat up and tried to resist staring at his shoes.

  “Good morning!” The speaker, a tall and slender woman with dark hair who Jason instantly recognized as the colony’s administrator, addressed him, her facetious response obvious to everyone present. “We’re so glad you could join us and make your presence known. Do you think you could find the time to grab a seat?”

  Jason glanced at the clock on the wall, which displayed the time as eleven hundred six hours, and smiled meekly before searching for the closest empty chair. Next to him, Catherine sighed and brushed a lock of chocolate brown hair out of her eyes as she too sought a seat. A few people shifted chairs to accommodate the late arrivals, who finally sat down together in the back row.

  Once they were seated, the administrator continued with her speech. Jason tried to pay attention, but Catherine’s hand gliding up his thigh proved to be a huge distraction. It must have been distracting for the bearded man with salt-and-pepper hair sitting next to Jason as well.

  “Excuse me,” he whispered. “Could you please refrain from doing that here?”

  Jason clapped his hand on top of Catherine’s. “Sorry.”

  The man turned back to listen to the administrator speak. Jason extended his hand, paying no heed to Catherine’s attempted overtures with her hand in his lap. “Jason Fuller.”

  Gesturing to his lover, he continued, “And, this is Catherine Burns.”

  Glancing at the outstretched hand, the man grasped it and replied, “Peter Lieben, Reverend…Peter Lieben.”

  Catherine’s hand suddenly disappeared from his crotch, and she leaned forward with a sheepish grin on her face and delicately waved her fingers to the minister. The holy man waved back in a similar fashion, but his face demonstrated he was unimpressed by the sudden change in behavior.

  Jason nodded for a second. “So, why is a ministe
r…“

  “If you don’t mind,” the reverend interrupted kindly. “I would like to hear what she has to say. We can talk afterwards.”

  Nodding, Jason let the conversation fade and would have turned his attention to the front of the room when Catherine jabbed her elbow into his ribs. He turned to her. She wore an expression asking what he was doing as though he had lost it.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Jason diverted his attention to the administrator’s speech and noticed out of the corner of his eye that Catherine shook her head and turned to watch the speaker.

  The assembly broke for lunch about an hour later, which the culinary staff had prepared and were serving in the cafeteria nearby. Jason and Catherine followed the crowd in and gathered their meal. Emerging from the line with their trays, he scanned the room to find a place to sit, when he spotted a few seats next to the minister.

  “Reverend!” cried Jason, waving to get his attention.

  “Hello!” Peter welcomed them, extending his hand to Jason after the younger man set down his tray. He clapped his other hand over Jason’s and smiled as they clasped hands. Gesturing to the two empty seats across the table from him, he offered, “Please have a seat.”

  As the couple sat, Peter continued, “Please forgive my rudeness earlier. I meant no disrespect.”

  Jason waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “So,” Peter said as he jabbed his fork into his food. “I believe you were about to ask me why a minister like myself was part of the colony expedition to Haven. Right?”

  Jason nodded after stuffing some mashed potatoes into his mouth.

  “Well, God wants all of his children to reach out to those who have lost their way and help guide them back to His divine purpose. I felt, after much prayer, that God wants me to act as the shepherd for this colony. Beyond that, I can help in other ways by being a counselor, a mediator, or someone to confide in.”

  Jason swallowed his food. “Very important roles, I’m sure. But, don’t you think that people might be turned off to the fact that you’re a religious man? What denomination do you serve?”

  Peter smiled. “We all serve God in one form or another. But to answer your question, I am affiliated with the Fishers of Men.”

  “The Fishers of Men?” Catherine inquired with curiosity and slight disdain. “Isn’t that the fundamentalist group associated with that incident that took place in De Soto, Kansas a few years ago?”

  “Sad, but true.” Peter frowned. “Some of our brethren took matters a bit too far, and the media branded us as extremists. But I can assure you that I am a man of peace. I would do nothing to threaten you, your boyfriend, or anyone on this ship.”

  “Uh huh,” she replied, skeptical. “Jason, I’m going to go sit with Sally for a bit. See you later.”

  Jason nodded and quickly kissed her before she left the table.

  “Sorry about that, your grace,” Jason expressed with regret. “I didn’t know she felt that way.”

  “That’s quite all right, my son. I have come to expect that kind of behavior in my line of work. It’s an occupational hazard.

  “So, do you consider yourself a religious man, Jason?”

  “Me? Not really. My mom took me to church as a kid, but I stopped going when I reached high school. Something about the Catholic Church didn’t feel right to me.”

  “I hear that a lot from young people today. It seems to me that…”

  “Good afternoon, gentlemen!”

  The two men turned to find the colony administrator approaching their table, lunch in hand. Jason got a closer look at the professional-looking navy blue skirt and blazer she wore. Dressed that way, he thought she looked rather pretty despite being almost twice his age.

  “Ms. Armstrong!” he cried, surprised more than anything else that she was addressing him. “Hi!”

  “Good afternoon, Ms. Armstrong,” Peter said warmly. “Would you like to join us?”

  Smiling, she responded, “Thank you, but no. I am just stopping for a moment to thank you for joining us on this expedition to Haven. And, I hope you are as excited as I am that we will be reaching the moon later today. I look forward to getting out of the ship and breathing the fresh air where we will be living soon.”

  “Oh! Me, too!” Jason’s eagerness brought a smile to Peter’s face. “I hope the weather will be good when we set down. I’d hate to get started in the rain.”

  Ms. Armstrong’s smile did not quite reach her eyes. “I hope your enthusiasm is genuine, Mr. Fuller. I would hate to believe that you managed to somehow squeeze your way onto the expedition just for a joyride. Haven is reported to be extremely beautiful, but getting the colony up and running will be hard work. We have buildings to erect, crops to cultivate, and a whole new world to learn about, and I don’t need anyone holding us back.”

  Jason smiled brightly. “You can count on me, Ms. Armstrong! I’ll do my fair share.”

  “I hope so, for everybody’s sake.” She looked away for a brief second before returning her eyes to the men. “Now if you will excuse me, I have some final preparations to make before our arrival. Good day, gentlemen.”

  Peter bowed his head respectfully, while Jason waved to her as she turned and receded from the cafeteria.

  * * * * *

  “She did what?”

  Jason cringed as Catherine’s heated words filled Jason’s quarters. He sighed with dread, as the tone in her voice reminded him of his mother’s while she administered punishment.

  “Yes,” Jason nodded. “She said that she wants us all to pull our weight to help the colony be successful. It’s only fair. That’s why we came along, isn’t it?”

  “Well, yeah. But, I was hoping to be able to create my own home away from everyone else and live my own life. That’s the main reason why I joined the colony. I’m tired of being surrounded by the vast crowds! I want to live where it’s open and free, where I can do what I need to survive and enjoy life as it was meant to be lived.”

  Jason gestured to himself. “I want that, too. And, I’m hoping that we can enjoy that dream together. But, we are going to have to rely on the colony for at least a little while for supplies and support, until we can break away on our own.”

  “Who said anything about ‘we’?”

  Jason backpedaled. “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t get me wrong!” She threw her hands up in front of her as if signaling him to stay back. “I’m just saying that I don’t need anyone to be able to do what I want to do. I’m a big girl, you know. I can take care of myself. You are welcome to join me. I enjoy your company, we get along pretty well, and you’re good in bed. But, I would appreciate it if you would ask first instead of assuming that you’re coming with me.”

  “Okay.” He sighed. Suddenly tired, he sat down on the edge of the bed. “May I join you in creating your homestead?”

  Catherine smiled and crossed the room to sit on the bed next to him. She glided her finger along his jaw line, which drew his attention to her. “Yes, you may.”

  Renewed energy flowing through him, Jason rose to his feet with a broad grin, pulled her up into his arms, and hugged her tight. “This will be great! I can see it now, our own little house on top of a hill with rolling hills all around us. We’ll have…”

  “Attention colonists!” The PA system shattered the moment. “We will be arriving at Haven soon. Prepare to disembark.”

  Jason and Catherine looked at each other and cried in unison, “We’re here!”

  Chapter 2

  The colony ship approached its destination, one of the moons circling the large gas giant in the g Lupi star system, and established a geosynchronous orbit over the designated drop zone. The flight crew sent the signal indicating the ship was in position.

  The announcement echoed through the halls as people began moving out of their cabins, “Attention colonists! Please gather your belongings and report to your designated drop ship.”

  Catherine leaned in toward
Jason and lightly kissed him on the lips. “I need to gather my things. See you on the surface!”

  All Jason could do was smile and wave while she departed. A few seconds later, he quickly packed his clothes, stuffing his dirty garments into his carry-on bag, and checked the cabin one last time to make sure he had not forgotten anything. Satisfied nothing had been left out, he lifted the bag with ease and headed out.

  Despite prior planning, the area where the drop ships were docked appeared disorganized. People moved in just about every direction. Some small groups of two or three were gathered in the middle of the wide corridor, interfering with the flow of traffic, while individuals moved against the flow. Through it all, uniformed soldiers wearing UN armbands pushed their way through the crowd and tried to direct people where to go and what to do when they got there.

  Fighting through the chaos did not look too difficult, so Jason waded into the throng and forced his way to his designated spot. It turned out to be pretty easy to join the crowd, but reaching his target proved to be more of a challenge.

  Finally reaching the airlocks a few minutes later, Jason broke free, jumped into the line, and boarded the ship. He found a seat, paying no heed to the older man sitting next to him reading something on his personal computer. After stuffing his carry-on under the seat, he leaned back and closed his eyes to daydream about his future in the colony.

  A few minutes later as more people filed in and claimed seats, the man next to him said, “Well, it appears that the Lord has brought us together again.”

  Opening his eyes, he discovered it was Reverend Peter sitting next to him, e-reader in hand. Looking at the younger man with a smile on his face, the minister continued, “Or, did you choose to sit next to me?”

  “No, I just picked a seat, and it happened to be this one.”

  Peter nodded knowingly. “I see. Then, it appears that the Lord is guiding you back to me for some reason.”