She read the sincerity in his eyes, his facial expressions, and the gentleness of his voice. She slid her hand into his. For the next few hours, they talked about their likes and dislikes, hoping to find their compatibilities where they could begin their relationship.
58
Matthews sat in the security office, reading through the legal proposal that Grayson’s attorneys had drawn up. An amused smile spread across his face. The offer was quite lucrative, but nagging at the back of his mind was whether the deal would stand.
He shook his head. He and Grayson were two superpowers, like reigning Kings of distant lands. History on Earth was compiled of numerous enemy kingdoms having to reach peaceful agreements in order to work together. How had they ever managed to do such a thing? Did one ever fully trust an enemy?
Grayson never seemed to be a man who’d bow down to any sort of hostile takeover, but in this case, did Grayson really have any choice? What repercussions was the tycoon planning, if any? Was the deal legitimate?
It was a chance Matthews was willing to take. He electronically signed the document and submitted it to return to Grayson. The difficulty of working together across the galaxy from one another was in not being able to sit down at a conference table together. Matthews was an expert at reading most people’s character flaws and tells. But setting up a webcam between one another wasn’t successful, either. Everything between Earth and Mars was relayed via satellite transmission. At best, there was a six-minute delay, but on the average, one might wait as long as fifteen to twenty minutes for the response to come in.
Dr. Sheung sat beside Matthews with her hands folded atop the table. Her sour expression hung on her face.
Matthews shook his head when he glanced at her. “I can never tell if you’re in a good mood.”
“You sought me for what exactly?” she asked, ignoring his statement.
“Your counsel.”
“Why me?”
Matthews shrugged. “You contain a wealth of information. Your disdain toward society in general almost equals mine. And I expect your dislike of me will never smooth over, so I respect that you’ll harshly tell me what you think.”
“But you have no way to know whether I’ll always tell you the truth.”
“There is that as well. But in your better interest, I think that you’re more apt to be honest with me than deceptive.”
“And why is that?”
Matthews chuckled. “Because if anything ever happened to me, you’re not capable of running this encampment. You know this, even though you might not want to admit it.”
Sheung offered a grim smile. “No argument from me. Being a dictator has never been in my interests. I feel you wish to keep your enemy close to your side.”
“Kim,” Matthews said softly, shaking his head. “Why do you think I view you as an enemy?”
“Why else call me here about your negotiation with Grayson?”
“Counsel, as I said. Grayson is every bit as cunning as I am. While I find his contract easily acceptable, I have to wonder his true intentions.”
“And he, you,” she replied.
“See? That’s the kind of counsel I seek.”
“I’m certain you had already come to that conclusion.”
“I had. But it’s good to have a voice outside my own head to validate my assumptions.” He slid a paper across the table to her.
“What is this?”
“A list of possible candidates I have chosen to have as high ranked officers and advisors. Most of these I think you should know, so I’d like for you to choose six of them that you believe could benefit us in our Martian government.”
“Us?”
“You’re the head physician here. I consider you to be one of the top members of our regime.”
She stared at him in silence for several moments.
Matthews chuckled and shook his head. “Kim, you have no level of trust at all, do you? Not even a smidgen. My, I hope in time you’ll risk letting go of your overly suspicious nature. While I know that can be difficult, there are benefits in keeping acquaintances that lie on the fringe of friendship.”
“You consider me a friend?”
“Not yet. The possibility is there, however small. Anyway, you give that list a thorough inspection and get back with me about your choices and why. Okay?”
She stood with the paper in hand and nodded as she headed for the door. After she left, Matthews formed a bridge with his fingers and rested his chin upon them. Many ideas formulated inside his brilliant mind on how to make the most of his uncertain relationship with Grayson. Perhaps he should take the advice he had given Dr. Sheung? He shook his head. Even he wasn’t that foolish.
Sylvia sat in the pilot’s seat. Carter and Magnus stood to the side.
“According to the computer’s calculations,” she said, “since someone sped up the propulsion acceleration, we should arrive a month earlier than originally planned.”
“So in five months?” Magnus asked.
She nodded.
“The sooner the better,” he said.
“I agree,” Carter said.
Magnus glanced at her. “Other than a little agitation, I didn’t have any problems from undergoing the hibernation process, did you?”
Sylvia shook her head. “No. I did fine. Of course, we have no idea about how Carter would do.”
“Sorry.”
Magnus gave him a stern stare. “This time, we’re hooking you up first.”
Carter sighed heavily but didn’t argue.
“So we could hibernate at least four more months and awaken when we’re about a month out?” Magnus asked.
Carter nodded. “We could, but if we’re going to hibernate, I’d suggest we awaken about two weeks out.”
“Why so late?” Sylvia asked.
“In all honesty, I will sit and worry about our entrance regardless of the amount of time we’re asleep. I’d rather it be two weeks of stress than an entire month,” he replied.
“I get that,” Magnus said. “I could do that provided we had some guarantee that whoever sped up the engines won’t do it again.”
Sylvia shook her head. “It’s highly doubtful they would. We are at the maximum level required by the safety regulation committee. If increased any higher, we could suffer severe engine malfunction or even worse. To Grayson’s credit, he’s never had one shuttle fatality or any crashes. I don’t think he’d risk that over us, especially since this is his coveted shuttle.”
“Okay,” Magnus said. “Carter, get the controls set. I’ll set up the pet feeder and water system for Digger. I hate leaving him alone that long. He did fine for a month. Not sure how he’ll do for four months.”
Carter said, “It’s problematic for all of us.”
“You don’t think our hibernation chambers are safe?” Sylvia asked.
“I’m sure they are. Should we have any major malfunction, including loss of power, the computers bring us out of hibernation. They have a backup generator that kicks on.” He smiled, still a bit nervous. “But like you mentioned Grayson has never had a shuttle accident or fatality, he’s never had anyone die while in hibernation.”
“Good to know,” Magnus said. “Let’s prepare ourselves. It will be nice to know that when we’ve awakened, we’ll have less than two weeks before returning to Earth. Lots to do then.”
Carter nodded. His eyes grew distant, deep in thought.
59
4.9 Months Later
Magnus sat with Sylvia in the shuttle cabin watching the control panel. Carter had gone to the restroom. The Percival 3000 was less than half a day from entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Digger slept curled on Sylvia’s lap while she read different computer readouts.
Magnus looked over his shoulder toward the cabin door. He sighed. “Carter spends a lot of time in the restroom, doesn’t he?”
“I know,” Sylvia said. “He likes to sort through issues in private.”
“Is that all he does?” Mag
nus asked with a naughty grin.
She blushed. “Since we came out of hibernation, I think I’ve kept him too busy for him to want to—”
“I’m teasing.” Magnus laughed deeply.
“I know. I can’t ever get him to open up with me about what’s bothering him.”
“I worry about him sometimes. His mental stability isn’t quite on the right edge.”
“You’ve noticed that, too?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“He frightens me at times.”
Magnus looked into her eyes. “Why? Has he hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No. Nothing like that. But his mind shifts into deep trances. When he goes into those, it’s nearly impossible to shake him out of such spells. Once he snaps back into reality, he doesn’t remember zoning out.”
“I checked his hibernation chamber’s settings after he went under. So I know he was scheduled for the same amount of time we were. I’d almost believe the deep sleep might have somehow affected his brain, but I had seen him slip into trances before then. Do you know if he’s on certain kinds of medications? If he had been deprived of them during hibernation . . .”
“He never told me if he was on meds. But I think that he’s still upset about Wanda’s death, even though he’s never mentioned her. Of course, I’ve not said anything about her because I don’t want him to regress. But, you know, I thought my affections might make him forget about that pain. If she’s not the reason why he’s still having issues, I wonder what is?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Nor do I,” she said softly.
Magnus rubbed his hands together while watching the curve of the Earth. Seeing the world from above, the oceans, the landmasses, and the puffy white clouds, was more vivid than he’d ever be able to explain in mere words. The world truly was a spectacular sight to behold. Much more colorful than the Martian landscape.
A part of him couldn’t wait to walk on Earth again. He missed it more than he had thought he would. Looking away from the panoramic screen, he noticed the tears in Sylvia’s eyes. Her hope to heal Carter weighed hard on her.
“Pain of loss is hard for some to overcome,” he said softly. “Some never get past it, regardless of how much others try to help.”
“I know. I’m too optimistic. A bad flaw, I suppose.”
“No, it isn’t. As long as there is hope, you have something to strive for. Once hope disappears, death knocks. Without hope, there’s no need to live.”
Her hand stroked Digger’s neck while she sat deep in thought. She probably didn’t even knowing she was doing so. It was why people needed pets. Comfort. Therapy. Her free hand wiped her eyes before the tears escaped and streamed down her face.
“Any idea how long before we land?” he asked.
“Within eight hours? We should circle the earth a few times as our acceleration slows.”
The cabin door opened. Magnus and Sylvia turned. Carter smiled. Concern crossed his face when he saw Sylvia’s red eyes and cheeks.
“Is everything okay?” Carter asked.
She nodded. “I’m fine.”
“But it looks like you were crying.”
“I’m homesick and a bit worried about how we’re going to land without Grayson or the authorities taking us into custody.”
Carter frowned and stepped to the console. “You no longer have control over the shuttle to land?”
“I’ve not actually tried.”
Magnus stood. “See what you can do.”
She typed commands into the ship’s computer. A red alert flashed on the console screen: PROGRAM ERROR!
“Dammit!” she said.
Digger uncurled and blinked away sleep before dropping to the floor and crawling to Magnus.
“Sorry, Digger,” Sylvia said. “Oh, I upset him.”
Magnus picked up the ferret and scratched behind its ears. “He’s okay.”
Carter watched the message flash. “What’s wrong?”
“I have no control at all now. And we’re entering the Earth’s atmosphere.”
She typed in different commands. The computer responded with the same message.
Magnus leaned closer. “Nothing works?”
Sylvia shook her head. “No. I don’t understand it, either. The systems were never overridden. But now, every command I enter is being rejected.”
“Odd,” Magnus said. “Keep trying.”
“Okay. Not sure it will change anything.”
Magnus looked at Carter. “You come with me.”
He walked out of the pilot’s cabin and Carter followed.
“What is it?” Carter asked.
Magnus walked to a storage closet and slid the narrow door open. He reached inside and handed two parachute packs to Carter one by one. “We’re left with few options.”
“There’s no way we can jump.”
“Eventually, we’re going to have to.”
“Aren’t you afraid of heights?”
“Scared to death. But I’d rather face that fear than be arrested before I have a chance to fulfill a promise I made to myself and others.”
Carter nodded. “I agree with you on that.”
“Good.”
A few minutes later, Magnus and Carter returned to the shuttle cockpit with the parachute packs. They set them onto empty seats.
Sylvia growled with frustration, glaring at the computer screen as if it understood her anger.
“Still no luck?” Carter asked.
“No. Grayson has control. I’m locked out. I’ve tried every access code and override command I know.”
“Where are we programmed to land?” Magnus asked.
“The landing strip in California right alongside Grayson Enterprises.”
Carter’s jaw tightened. “There’s no way that you can alternate the landing coordinates?”
“I’m afraid not. He’s going to take us into custody the minute we land.”
Magnus smiled and pointed to the emergency parachutes. “We did find those.”
Sylvia still didn’t look hopeful. “At the rate of speed we’re traveling, there’s no way to jump. The wind shear will rip us apart.”
“See if you can find a way to lower the shuttle’s speed once we descend into the final landing orbit,” Magnus said. “That’s the safest way for us to escape.”
“I can try, but I can’t promise anything.”
“We need to decrease speed once we’re closer to California. Preferably a state or so away where we won’t be noticed exiting the craft,” Magnus said.
Sylvia forced a smile. “You only have two chutes.”
Carter grinned. “There are several dozen of them back there.”
After an hour of reading through the computer archives, Sylvia turned and a smile crossed her face. Great excitement rose in her voice. “I’ve discovered something.”
Magnus leaned forward in his seat. “What?”
“They never got access to the shuttle computer until we entered the Earth’s atmosphere. I mean, they had sped up our acceleration to make our arrival a couple of months early. But they never took full control of the ship until a few hours ago.”
“Why did that change?” Magnus asked.
“From what I’ve noticed, as long as the Hyber-Sleep was initiated, massive firewalls prevented anyone outside the ship from gaining access. This is probably a safety preventative to keep terrorists from taking control of a vessel while the occupants are sleeping. Virtually unmanned.”
“But we came out of Hyber-Sleep yesterday,” Carter said.
She nodded. “I know, but here’s the kicker. There is an eight-hour time gap after we awakened where the computer still maintains that firewall, which has expired. But the way the program is set, once we entered the atmosphere, there’s less likely a chance that anyone should remain in hibernation. So . . .” she glanced at Carter.
“Are you implying that we initiate the Hyber-Sleep again?” Carter asked.
“Would that work?” Magnus asked.
Sylvia shrugged. “I’m not certain, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
Magnus stood. “And what if it does? What can you do?”
“Provided I can get back at least partial control, I should be able to slow the shuttle enough that we can jump at a lower elevation without injuring or killing ourselves.”
Magnus looked at Carter. “Is it even possible to activate Hyber-Sleep without one of us being hooked up to the I.V.?”
Carter bit his lower lip while he thought. “Not sure. Let’s go see.”
Magnus handed Digger to Sylvia. “You want me to stay here?”
“For now, Sylvia,” Magnus replied. “Keep reading those archives. If those firewalls pop back up, give us a shout.”
“Will do!”
Magnus followed Carter to the passenger compartment. For the first time in several hours, he was more optimistic that they would actually touchdown on Earth without Grayson capturing them.
Carter studied one hibernation seat. He looked at Magnus momentarily and then he knelt beside the chair arm where an occupant normally rested their arm for the I.V. hookup.
Magnus watched but held his silence. The way Carter’s eyes gleamed; Carter was deep in thought. Magnus didn’t want to break the doctor’s concentration because this wasn’t something Magnus could figure out. He hoped Carter did. Quickly.
“While I might be able to hook the I.V. unit to something to start the flow, I don’t know how we’d mimic a person’s body temperature.”
Magnus said, “Hmm.”
“Wait!” Carter said. “I’ll be right back.”
Carter rushed past Magnus toward the restroom.
“Not again,” Magnus whispered.
But instead of Carter entering the restroom, he continued running to the storage rooms farther back. Out of curiosity, Magnus followed him.
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