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

by Patrick Stutzman

  “Wow! You know, if I recall the report correctly, I would swear that the company stated that the station had been dismantled, and the crew had been relocated to another facility. How many were aboard with you?”

  Anna laughed. “Funny you should mention that! During my entire term aboard the station, I was the only one aboard.”

  “What? Are you serious?”

  She nodded.

  “And, you’ve been by yourself for the most part for ten more years beyond that, too? Are you glad for the company we’re providing for you here?”

  “Actually,” Anna noted. “Your arrival completely took me by surprise. I didn’t expect to see another human soul again for the rest of my life.”

  He smiled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  Anna smiled back.

  “Say, I’m going to be checking the shipment for a while. But, what do you say to getting together and discussing this matter of your upcoming seminars after that in about an hour or two?”

  Anna brushed back a lock of hair as the wind picked up around them. “That would be great. Meet you here?”

  “The town hall would be better.”

  She nodded. “Okay, at the town hall, then.”

  “Great! You’re welcome to hang out here in the meanwhile, if you like.”

  “If you don’t mind,” she countered. “I’d like to check out your little village.”

  William conceded, a little too quickly for Anna’s taste. “Okay. That’s fine. Have fun!”

  Waving as she left, Anna walked back into the gathering of buildings and wandered through the grassy walkways. The stroll proved to be rather peaceful at first, giving her time to reflect back on William’s friendliness. She felt good about the conversation and assured that she could finally have a decent conversation with a man after the hardships she endured at the hands of other men about ten years ago. William seemed like the kind of man she could be good friends with.

  As Anna walked, she enjoyed the gentle breeze blowing between the homes that cooled the sunlight shining on her bright blonde hair and tanned shoulders. She stopped a couple of times to study the colored-glass decorations a few of the residents had displayed in their windows.

  Several minutes into her meandering, Anna spotted two rifle-carrying soldiers following her from a distance. Doing her best to appear oblivious to their presence, she continued her tour past a few more houses and then darted behind one of the buildings out of sight of the trailing men.

  The guards picked up their pace and rushed to the corner where Anna had disappeared. They peered down the connecting alley and saw no trace of her.

  “Where did she go?” one of them asked aloud.

  The other, with a gruffer voice, answered. “To hell if I know! But, we’d better find her, or the colonel is gonna fuckin’ kill us.”

  They jogged down the path between the homes, continuing their search. On the roof of the house at the corner, Anna fought to ignore the heat emanating from the dark shingles while holding her position prone on the hot surface. Satisfied that her pursuers had gone far enough away, she slid down the back side of the dwelling and landed on her feet in the grass. She quickly rubbed her bare arms and legs, hoping to dissipate the heat that had collected on her skin, and resumed her tour in a different direction.

  A short time later, Anna signaled her ship.

  “Kate, this is Anna.”

  “Oh, thank God you’re all right! When are you coming back?”

  Anna glanced around her, making sure the coast was clear. “Actually, I’m going to be at the colony for the rest of the evening. I have been asked to be their guide to help them learn to survive here.”

  Kate paused for a second. “I thought you were trying to tell them to leave.”

  “I was, but things changed unexpectedly.”

  “How?”

  “It turns out that the leader of the colonists is my best friend from college.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  “No, it’s true. But, I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I’m really glad to see her and know that she is doing well. But on the other hand, I don’t want anything to happen to her while she’s here.”

  “Logically, the best course of action for them would be for them to depart and never return.”

  “And, that’s where there’s a problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  Anna sighed before she continued. “In all the years that I’ve known Danica, I have never been able to change her mind about anything. Once she sets herself to do something, she sees it through, and nobody can convince her otherwise. In this case, she is determined that this colony will survive. I can’t tell her to abort and return to Earth.

  “So, I have signed on to teach them what I know about the plants and animals here. The least I can do is improve their odds, but the aliens are a big wild card in this. I don’t know how they’re going to react when they return.”

  “So, when will you be coming back here?”

  Anna sighed again. “Probably after dinner tonight. Danica has asked me to join them. The big problem with that is their clocks are five hours behind ours. When they sit down to eat, it will be past my bedtime.”

  “Are you going to be able to get home safely?”

  “Probably not.” Anna shook her head for nobody in particular. “I’ll probably end up either sleeping here overnight or getting someone to give me a ride.”

  “Okay, Anna.” Kate sounded resigned. “Thanks for telling me, and good luck.”

  Chapter 10

  “Good morning, Anna.”

  No response.

  “Good morning, Anna.”

  Anna began to stir on the cot. She stretched her arms and legs before sitting up and tossing the thin sheet off. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and hit the switch to open the door.

  The door slid open to reveal Kate standing on the other side, waiting for Anna.

  “Good morning, Anna,” the hologram greeted her cheerfully.

  Anna, groggy from another late night at the colony, stepped through the hatch and walked toward the head. “Morning, Kate.”

  “Your class at the colony starts in a couple of hours.”

  “Yeah, you’d think I’d get used to it after a couple of weeks.”

  Anna responded with a nod and entered the head. She looked at the items on the sink for a long moment. On the edge was a new toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, and a fresh bar of soap, all supplied by the colony.

  “Still find it hard to believe that I had to go without proper dental hygiene for the last several years,” she muttered to herself as she began her morning routine.

  Kate watched from the doorway. “You did come up with an interesting alternative.”

  Anna paused her brushing as she gave Kate a sideways glance. “That paste we concocted from those plants a few years back tasted like shit.”

  “But, it did get the job done.”

  Anna rinsed her mouth and examined her gums for a moment. “I’m surprised that I don’t have some form of gum disease by now.”

  “Perhaps those plants have some medicinal properties that we are not aware of,” Kate suggested.

  Anna inspected her mouth for a few more seconds before returning the toothbrush to its spot. “Maybe. I should find some more and take them to the colony. Maybe one of their scientists can check our hypothesis.”

  As Anna removed her leather garments, the avatar asked, “How many more classes will you be teaching the colonists? You have been going there almost every day for the last two weeks.”

  “I know.” Anna stepped into the shower and closed the transparent door behind her. “I’d rather not go back there, if I had a choice. But, Danica wants me to go there today. Maybe I can bring these classes to a close and move on.”

  “Why the sudden change, Anna? I thought you longed for human contact again.”

  “That was before the colony showed up. It seems like whenever I go there, people cause me grief. I
t started with the soldiers. I don’t know why, but they like to publicly ridicule me and openly question my expertise. Now, some of the colonists are doing it, too. I don’t understand. Why are they doing this? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  Anna stopped washing her hair to sniff back the tears forming in her eyes. In the sixteen years she had been away from civilization, she had never dreamed that her return would be negative. She had hoped that she would be welcomed back by family and friends, not by strangers who mocked and teased her.

  “I’m so sorry, Anna.” Kate’s statement disrupted her thoughts. “I wish I could be there with you.”

  “It’s okay, Kate.” Anna sniffed back a tear and rinsed her hair. “You’re here for me now. Thank you.”

  The conversation dropped off for a few minutes as Anna finished her shower. When she stepped out and grabbed one of the three bright white towels from the rack on the wall, she paused for a second and stared at the towel in her hands for a few seconds before drying herself. “It’s amazing. I didn’t realize what I took for granted before I was marooned here. And now that I have some simple things back, like clean towels, a sturdy toothbrush, and shampoo, I wonder how I lived without them. I suppose I should be thankful to the colony for this.”

  After a few seconds, Kate queried, “Have you given any thought to returning to Earth?”

  Anna looked at her holographic companion, a slight frown appearing on her face as her eyes shifted upwards for a few seconds before returning her gaze to Kate.

  “I…I’m not sure. The thought had crossed my mind, but I haven’t decided whether I will or not. One thing is for sure. I don’t want to leave you here.”

  “That will not be an easy task to accomplish.”

  “I know.” Anna sighed as she dried her legs. “My wristcomp doesn’t have the memory space to carry your personality matrix, and the colonists don’t have the hardware to download you into their systems. It’s like dealing with Adam all over again.”

  “Adam? Do you mean the computer from the mining station?”

  “Yes. I faced the same dilemma back then, and he died with the station. Granted, I don’t think you’re going to die if I leave, but I don’t want to leave you behind.”

  Anna picked up her leather clothing, draped the damp towel over her shoulder, and turned toward the doorway, “You have been my best friend, my only friend, over the past ten years, Kate. You have helped me survive and even thrive on this uncivilized moon, and I could not have done it without you. You have been a significant part of my life, and the thought of leaving you here if I return to Earth feels like cutting off my own arm. I want you to come with me and continue to spend the rest of my life with me. If it means staying here longer until I have the means to do so, then I will do that. I will do…”

  Kate smiled while Anna spoke and noticed Anna’s pause while she tried to maintain her composure. “Oh, Anna. I care for you, too. I know you will do everything in your power to accomplish that, and I am genuinely touched by your compassion.”

  “Thank you.” Anna inhaled sharply as she reined in her emotions.

  “And, I believe your ride is here.”

  “Already?” Astonishment rang through Anna’s words like a fired arrow piercing a sheet of thin plastic wrap. “Jason’s early today. I’d better get dressed.”

  Kate smiled as Anna rushed past her. “I’ll stall him as long as I can.”

  “I won’t be long!”

  * * * * *

  Jason parked the skycycle a few meters from the nose of the grounded ship and dismounted. He stopped for a few seconds to look around the recently mowed clearing. He could not help but admire all that Anna had accomplished over the decade she had spent on Haven: the three tilled plots of land growing a host of different native crops, the irrigation system emerging from the trees to water the gardens and empty into a reservoir placed near the aft of the ship, the wooden shed on the other side of the ship that covered a myriad of technological parts and junk that appeared to be salvaged from different machines, and a leather canopy erected forward of the spacecraft’s starboard wing, creating shade over a simple wooden bench and a small container that looked to hold an assortment of wooden hand tools. From the time he had spent with her over the last several days, Jason had seen Anna demonstrate her intelligence and knowledge of the planet, and felt confident that she had done more to make her life a little easier.

  Another look allowed Jason to take in the full view of Anna’s home. Resting on the ground a short distance from the port side of the ship were two unpowered drones in apparent decent condition. He was not sure if she had managed to keep them running or if she had pieced them together from the junk she kept stored in the shed, but he felt that the drones’ condition spoke volumes about her abilities.

  Looking into the woods behind the ship as he walked toward the top hatch, Jason saw that the vegetation was reclaiming ground that must have been disturbed when the starship originally crashed: grass and young trees grew in what appeared to be a wide path cut into the wooded area.

  As Jason stepped up to the entrance into the ship, the dorsal hatch opened. A British woman’s voice called out to him. “Come in, Jason. She’ll be ready in a moment.”

  Jason smiled and climbed down the ladder. Once he reached the floor, the hatch above closed, and the inside door opened to reveal Kate standing on the other side.

  “Morning, Kate.” Jason smiled as he stepped out of the airlock.

  “Good morning, Jason. Sleep well?”

  “Eh.” He flipped his hand back and forth. “It was okay, but I had another fight with Catherine last night.”

  Kate pouted. “I’m sorry. What did you fight about?”

  “Oh, it’s the same thing about her thinking that I don’t spend enough time with her, and that I’m spending too much time with Anna. I keep telling her that it was Ms. Armstrong that assigned me to her, and that it’s not a personal choice. I guess she thinks I’m up to something.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Dressed in her leather clothes again, Anna had left her cabin and headed for the bridge, but paused at the entrance as she overheard the conversation, not wishing to interrupt it.

  “I think Catherine believes I’m cheating on her.”

  Kate’s expression sobered. “Have you spoken with her about this?”

  Jason nodded. “I tried, but it seems like she doesn’t want to listen to me.”

  “How much time do you spend with her?”

  “Every night! As soon as I finish my time with Anna, I eat dinner and spend the rest of the evening with Catherine. I don’t understand.”

  “Considering that I haven’t met this Catherine of yours, I cannot make a substantial judgment of her character. But, I can tell that this situation is causing you stress, and may be affecting your behavior in ways you may not realize. I cannot speak for Anna, who should be out here at any time, but she might be able to provide better insight than me.”

  Jason replied, “You’re right. I have a lot to think about. I’ll ask her about it. Thanks.”

  Anna walked onto the bridge. “Okay, Jason. Sorry I took so long, but you’re early. I wasn’t ready yet.”

  “No problem! I am the one that should be sorry. I should have called ahead. I guess I was kind of anxious to get here. I, uh, have a lot to do today.”

  “Okay, then. Let’s get going!”

  As the two stepped toward the airlock, Kate interjected, “Oh, Anna! Planetrise has begun.”

  Anna stopped and turned to regard her holographic friend for a second before nodding. “I guess I have a little more to teach them after all.”

  She pointed to her wristcomp as she backed into the airlock. “I’ll call you later.”

  * * * * *

  Anna and Jason mounted the skycycle a short while later, strapped their helmets on, and set off toward the colony.

  As they rose above the tree line, Jason talked to her through the helmet’s communicator. “Anna, we’re t
aking a slight detour today.”

  She cocked an eyebrow for a second. “Where to?”

  “The pyramid. We received a flight last night with the latest group of people joining the colony. There was a group of scientists with them, and they wanted to get right on investigating the pyramid first thing this morning. Ms. Armstrong wanted you to meet with them and tell them what you know.”

  A pit formed in Anna’s stomach as she received the news. Her history with the site was not good, and she feared the idea of anyone else tampering with it.

  “They need to leave it alone.” Anna shook her head. “How many times do I have to warn everyone about that?”

  Jason frowned. “At least one more time, it seems.”

  She nudged his ribs. “Speed up! I need to put a stop to this.”

  Without a word, Jason accelerated the skycycle toward the nearby structure.

  They landed at the edge of the clearing that surrounded the pyramid a few minutes later. A throng of people, mostly dressed in civilian clothes, surrounded the ancient buildings. Some were erecting various pieces of equipment in an area just outside the ring of smaller buildings. Several soldiers, armed with rifles and dressed in flak jackets over their fatigues, stood guard nearby.

  Anna hopped off the skycycle, tossed her helmet onto her seat, and sprinted toward the crowd. She heard the vehicle’s engine shut down a few seconds later.

  About halfway toward the scientists, Anna waved her arms frantically. “Stop! Stop what you’re doing!”

  The soldiers reacted first. They turned toward her, hefted their weapons, and moved to intercept her. One of them activated his earpiece communicator as he moved with the group. A number of the scientists stopped their work and turned to watch.

  Anna bolted toward the intruders, pleading for them to stop and listen to her, when a soldier tackled her on the stone pavement. The two struggled for a few seconds until the uniformed man succeeded in pinning her to the ground.

  “Let me go!” She beat her fists against her captor’s helmet and arms. The sight of several rifles pointing at her as the other soldiers gathered around stopped her assault, and she quickly calmed her demeanor.