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

by Patrick Stutzman

  Anna cried for a moment while being comforted by her friend.

  As the weeping subsided, Danica leaned around Anna’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  Anna nodded and blew her nose.

  Danica smiled and returned to her seat. “So, we should digress. You had a different name for the moon?”

  “Yeah, I had called it Paradise.”

  “Paradise?” Danica confirmed. “I like that better than Haven. Gives it an exotic feeling.”

  Anna shrugged. “But that is neither here nor there now. It’s officially called Haven, but it will always be Paradise to me.”

  Her friend smiled her approval.

  “So, what’s happening with the others, like Yvette and Rachael?” Anna did not want to dwell on lost fortunes.

  The cheer on Danica’s face drained. “Oh, Anna. You really don’t want to know.”

  Anna frowned. “What happened?”

  Danica nodded her head for a few seconds before she sighed. “Do you remember that loser Rachael was dating before you left?”

  The technician thought back for a few seconds. “No.”

  “Probably just as well. He and Rachael broke up for a short while but got back together. I never knew what she saw in him, but anyway. About a year and a half later, the two of them must have gotten into a big…a really big fight. The next morning, the police found her dead in the alley behind her apartment building.”

  “Oh, my god!” The shock of the news hit her like a punch in the gut, and her hand shot to her mouth in horror.

  “We tried to get a message out to you, but your bosses were not very forthcoming with your whereabouts, and refused to relay a message for us unless it related to your job.” Danica pointed a finger at her friend. “I thought that company was bad news! I knew I should have…”

  “Forget that for now!” Anna waved her hands in front of her impatiently. “What happened?”

  “It was a heart-wrenching experience for all of us. I was crushed, but Yvette went off the deep end. She swore that she would avenge Rachael, and she did, too. One day later, the police found Rachael’s boyfriend dead in his apartment, and Yvette confessed to the crime. The courts found her guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced her to forty years at the penal colony on Io.”

  Anna hung her head. Waves of guilt washed over her. “I leave for a new job, and everything goes to shit.”

  “Don’t blame yourself, Anna,” Danica consoled. “It’s not your fault. It probably would have happened even if you were still with us.”

  “No, I might have convinced her to find some other guy to be with instead of that jerk that killed her.”

  “I doubt that. He seemed to have a lot of control over her life. Besides, there’s nothing we can do about that now. That was a long time ago. Let’s concentrate on what’s happening now.”

  Despite the suggestion, Anna could not hold back the emotions bursting forth. Seeing the tears welling up in Anna’s eyes again, Danica passed her another tissue. Then, she moved around the desk and hugged Anna from behind again, providing as much comfort as she could.

  “I’m so sorry, Anna. This is all so sudden for you.”

  “No, it’s okay,” Anna dried her eyes with the tissue. “I just need to deal with this on my own.”

  The communicator on Danica’s desk activated, interrupting them. “Ms. Armstrong?”

  Both ladies looked at the device. Anna was surprised.

  “Armstrong?”

  “Pardon me a sec.” The administrator returned to her seat.

  Touching the button before sitting down, Danica responded, “Go ahead, William.”

  “The shuttle with the last of our supplies has landed south of town. Shall we begin offloading?”

  Danica glanced at Anna for a brief second. “Go ahead and start without me. I’ll be by in a little bit to verify the shipment.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” William closed the channel.

  “Armstrong?” Anna repeated, pushing her mourning to the back of her mind. “I thought for sure that it would be Meriwether.”

  Danica smiled a devilish grin that was all too familiar to Anna. “Oh, you mean Brad? Hell, I’d never marry him. I only went out with him for the sex. If you’d seen how big he was, you would have quit your job before you’d even started.”

  “Why does that not surprise me?” Anna laughed. “So, who is this Armstrong guy that won your heart?”

  The administrator grew serious. “That would be Jake, but I tend to call him Jerk nowadays.”

  Anna’s jovial face turned sour with the news. “What happened with him?”

  “Another whirlwind romance. He was another attaché at the UN with me. We met, fell in love, and got married. Then, I found him sleeping with an intern named Brittany about six months later. I slapped him with the divorce papers so fast it sent his head spinning. I should have figured something like that would happen when he did not want to sign any prenups. Still, I got ten thousand dollars a month from him in maintenance until I signed on for this colony.”

  “That’s not bad,” observed Anna. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you, though.”

  Danica dismissed the apology with a wave of her hand. “That’s okay, but thanks. Honestly, I wouldn’t be where I am now, if it hadn’t been for him. And, finding you again has made it all worthwhile.”

  The women smiled at each other again for a few seconds. Then Danica broke the atmosphere. “I hate to do this, but I need to get to the landing site to check in these supplies. Life as the head of a colony, you know.”

  “It’s okay.” Anna walked around the desk and hugged her best friend. “I’m happy for you. This is a big responsibility.”

  The two broke the embrace after a brief moment, and she continued, “That reminds me, and I hate to say this. Your colony can’t stay here.”

  “I was going to ask you about that. Why is that?”

  “Do you know anything about the way the moon revolves around the gas giant?”

  Danica thought for a few seconds. “I know it takes about a month for one orbit. Am I missing something?”

  Anna nodded. “I didn’t think the scout would have hung around long enough to find out. For about twenty-four hours each month, the moon is eclipsed. It’s the only kind of night we will experience here.”

  “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Danica’s question contained a fair helping of hope.

  “Not really,” the blonde answered with a shake of her head. “That’s when all the wildlife comes out.”

  Danica paused. “Wildlife? You mean there’s more than what we’ve already found?”

  “The herbivores you’ve found and probably hunted are just the tip of the iceberg. When night falls, the predators come out, and they can be pretty nasty.”

  “Like what?”

  “The most prominent that I have found are what I call the triwolves. They have dark blue fur and are quite aggressive.”

  The administrator absorbed the information for a few seconds. “Why do you call them triwolves?”

  “Simple answer, really. They have six legs, three in the front and three in the back.”

  “I see,” Danica mused. “Why not call them ‘hexwolves’, since they have six legs?”

  “Some people might think that they have magical powers or some such nonsense.”

  “Then, what about ‘se…’ Never mind.” Anna’s resulting smile told Danica what she needed to know.

  “Wow! I am actually kind of impressed with this. We come here expecting to rough it from the very start, and my best friend is here with full working knowledge of the place.” She fell silent. Then her face lit up with eagerness.

  “Hey! That gives me an idea! Why don’t you be our guide? You can help us with the local flora and fauna, tell us what plants are good to grow and what animals are best to hunt or domesticate. I’m sure we could find a way to compensate you, maybe give you a place to live here with us, more food, some better clothes to wear.” The inflec
tion behind her last phrase told Anna that she did not exactly approve of her current choice of clothing. “What do you say, Anna?”

  Anna frowned and sighed. “The best thing you should do is pack up and leave before anything bad happens to your people.”

  “Not going to happen, Anna,” Danica stated as she walked toward the door. “We are here for the long haul. And, nothing you can say will convince me to order us to evacuate.”

  Anna followed on her friend’s heels. “I haven’t even told you everything you need to know.”

  “I don’t think it matters, to be perfectly honest. Every single one of us made a decision to come here to start a new life on this strange, new world. We all know the risks. So, I really don’t think that any warning is going to convince us to leave.”

  “What about another intelligent species who does not like intruders and is willing to eradicate them on sight?”

  Chapter 9

  Danica stopped in her tracks and turned around, causing Anna to halt abruptly before she ran into her.

  “What do you mean ‘another intelligent species’? You mean there are aliens here?”

  “Technically speaking, we are the aliens here. But, yes and no. I have seen them here several times, but it seems to me they visit this moon rather than actually live here. It’s rather strange that their anatomies are similar to a lot of the wildlife I’ve seen, but they don’t live on this world.”

  Danica shrugged. Then she probed further. “Do you think they are the ones that built the pyramid on the other side of the lake?”

  Anna’s eyes grew wide. “You know about the pyramid?”

  “Why, yes. Our friend Jason found it on his first day out foraging for food east of the lake. That reminds me. I need to finish the requisition on my way to the landing field.”

  She walked back to her desk and transferred the data she needed to her own wristcomp, which was strapped to her wrist.

  “You really need to stay away from that pyramid.” Anna warned, panicked. “That is where the others visit each time they arrive.”

  “That’s good! That will make it easier for us to spot them when they return.”

  Anna did a double-take. Had she heard her friend her right?

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t you see?” Danica explained after turning around to face the blonde. “Making first contact with another intelligent species would be the biggest event in human history to date, and we’ll be at the front line for it. It’s going to make this moon the most famous location in the galaxy for years to come! We will get so much support from back home that we will thrive and grow like wildfire.

  “This is the time to make your mark in history, Anna! You can be the one to help forge our first relations with another spacefaring race. Hell! In some ways, you already have! You know they’re here. You are our biggest expert on them right now, and we haven’t even opened a dialogue with them yet! You have just made yourself the single most important person alive!”

  “No!” Anna interrupted, her voice rising a notch. “I am just a messenger of doom! You need to listen to me and do what I say if you want to live past your first encounter with them!”

  Danica paused. “You know, Anna. You’re right. We do need to listen to you.”

  Anna smiled, relieved her friend was now listening to her. “I’m glad you came to your senses.”

  “That’s why I want you to teach us what you know about this place!”

  Anna blinked.

  “You don’t get it. Do you?”

  Danica sighed. “Look. I want you to be our guide and teach us how to survive here. I’m not going to take ‘No’ for an answer.”

  It was Anna’s turn to sigh. “I’m not going to change your mind, am I?”

  Danica shook her head. “Nope.”

  Anna could not help but to crack a little smile. “I never could.” She paused in thought.

  “Fine! I’ll be your guide, but promise me that you are not going to blindly rush into this first-contact situation. Please, promise me!”

  “Sure.” Danica replied in an offhand manner as she worked on her wristcomp. “No problem.”

  Judging from the way Danica responded, Anna knew she was not listening properly yet. She placed her hands on her hips as her friend moved toward the door. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re not sincere?”

  “What?” Danica stopped and looked at her with a blank expression.

  “Anna, don’t worry! I’m just a little distracted right now. I need to get this done before I get to the landing field.”

  She glanced at the form for a second. “Why don’t you come with me? You can keep me from running into things on the way.”

  “Okay.” Anna giggled in spite of herself.

  The conversation between the two ladies subsided as they walked through the new town, but Anna did not pass up the opportunity to study their homes. The one-story buildings constructed from a gray metal appeared sturdy enough, but the lack of solid foundations made her wonder how well they would weather one of the infrequent heavy rainstorms. The thick cords tying the structures down gave an impression of temporary shelter more than anything else. She opened her mouth to ask her friend about the houses, but shelved the thought when she saw Danica engrossed in the form.

  They arrived at the landing field several minutes later. It consisted of nothing more than a wide open field punctuated with landing lights placed several dozen meters south of the community to guide incoming vessels. A number of men sifted through the contents of several large metal containers stacked in the grass a short distance from the large, white shuttle parked within a circle of lights. Four yellow cargo walkers carried new crates from the shuttle to outside the landing area for inspection.

  Danica stopped at the edge of the field and looked over the cargo. After panning her eyes across the field, she pointed to a tall man with sandy blonde hair wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. “See that man over there? That’s William, my second. He’s the one that called me back at the office.”

  Anna nodded as her friend finished the last few keystrokes on the form and transmitted it.

  “There, that’s done. Now to get you introduced.”

  Leading the way toward the containers, Danica continued, “William is a good man. I worked with him back home for several years and know that he does a good job. I picked him personally to be my assistant.”

  While Anna nodded again, her friend called out to the man. “William!”

  The man turned around, smiled, and waved back without giving a response.

  “Come on!” Danica beckoned with a flick of her wrist before jogging toward him. Following suit, Anna caught up with her friend and kept pace with her.

  They stopped a few meters from William. Although Danica sounded a little winded from the exertion, Anna hardly broke a sweat.

  “Are you okay?” Anna looked over her friend with some concern.

  Danica nodded. “Yeah, I’m just not as young as I used to be.”

  “Maybe you should start working out with me. I’d be happy to make you a matching suit.” Anna flashed a teasing smile as she presented her outfit with a flourish.

  The administrator laughed. “I may take you up on the workout, but I’ll pass on the clothes.”

  “I don’t know, Danica,” William interjected with a smirk while he closed the gap between them, looking Anna over from head to toe with a pleasant smile. “Leather does have its appeal at times.”

  “Funny. William Friedman, this is Anna Foster. Anna, William. She is our new guide to Haven and will be teaching us about the native plants and animals.”

  “Really?” he asked with raised eyebrows as he extended his hand. “I thought the moon was uninhabited.”

  Anna took his hand in a brief but firm handshake. “It is for the most part. I’ve been marooned here for about ten years.”

  “Wow! That’s a long time to be by yourself. How did you cope with the loneliness?”
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br />   Anna noted his interest with amusement. “Kate helped me out.”

  “Kate? You didn’t tell me that you had somebody else here. Who is this mysterious woman?” Danica asked.

  Having half expected the response, Anna rolled her eyes. “Kate is my ship’s hologram.”

  “You are so disappointing,” Danica sighed.

  Befuddled, William asked, “Am I missing something?”

  “No!”

  He reeled backwards a step from the quick, simultaneous response from both women. “Okay, then.”

  Anna, unable to maintain a stern expression, cracked a smile and started giggling. Danica joined the mirth and laughed along with her, leaving poor William even more confused.

  Turning to her lieutenant, Danica explained, “Anna is an old friend of mine from college. Through a strange twist of fate, we ended up here together with me as the leader of the colony and her marooned on this moon for the last decade.”

  “Ah! That makes sense, I suppose.” He still sounded confused.

  “Anyway, we need to coordinate times when we can get our groups together with her to learn what we can from her. Anything to help us survive is most welcome.”

  “I agree.” He nodded as he transferred the cargo manifest to Danica’s wristcomp. “I’ll get right on it.”

  “And I’ll finish inspecting the shipment.” Danica smiled as she walked away. “Anna, dinner tonight is here with the other colonists. Eighteen hundred hours. Be there.”

  “Is that Eastern Time or Greenwich Time?”

  “New York Time!”

  She calculated the difference. “I’m going to be tired.”

  “Is that going to be a problem?” William moved a few steps closer to the newcomer standing near him.

  “If I had a little more warning, it probably wouldn’t be an issue. I’m just not used to eating a big meal just before going to bed.”

  “So, you’ve been living on London time for the past ten years?”

  “Sixteen, actually. I was on the mining station for six years before crashing here.”

  “The mining station? You mean the one NR Suppliers owned?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, that’s the one.”