This is a draft version of a chapter from John Saye’s book, Longevity and Other Stories. If you are daring, why not subscribe to my newsletter (they come few and far between), and I’ll send you a PDF copy of the book?
“So, what’s going to happen to us now?” said, Janet.
“Well,” said Barton. He sat for a moment in a chair with his hands folded in front of his mouth. His feet dangled beneath him. “For you, that all depends. You know we’re out here now, so I imagine life can never be the same.”
“No crazy memory wipes or anything you do to people?”
He laughed. “No, not really. The human brain, as you will find, is far too complex for that kind of thing.”
“Not that I’d ever forget him. What about him?”
“Well, that’s tricky. He’s been hiding out on Earth for some time and endangering folks there.”
“I endangered no one.”
“Did you see the way they reacted? All the missiles, national guard. I think that counts, even if you are hiding as a cave monster in a fake cave.”
“Yeah well…”
“We’ve told you before you can’t stay planet side on earth long without getting off the planet. Causes this very thing. With Wen here, I don’t have a choice.”
“No choice?”
“He violates intergalactic law. Had he been forward in time a couple to five hundred years in the future, it wouldn’t have mattered?”
“But because…”
“Earth is still in the dark about the rest of us, and he knew it and this isn’t the first time we’ve had to pull him out…”
We exchanged a look with Janet, who then looked at the floor.
“Sentence has already been passed.”
They looked over at Barton.
“Your lawyer did a bang-up job, but the judge… it’s no use. I’ve got to take you to Bacon.”
“What’s Bacon?” said, Janet. “I’m assuming you aren’t talking about lovely crispy sweet breakfast bacon?”
“No.” he stopped for a moment. “Bacon is a prison. Sort of a holding facility for super-powered folks, aliens too strong for normal containment. I’m sorry.”
“Excuse me? After all this, including dragging me into space, that’s the best thing possible?”
“It’s the way it is. Look at it like this. You have a new life, one in which you may eventually be reunited with Wen here. His sentence isn’t too long. He’s got to go to Bacon. You know there’s more out here. I can’t change that. I can get you situated, set you up, and show you how to get around in space. I can show you how to get back and forth to visit Wen frequently, and when he’s released, then the two of you will be free to travel the Galaxy together.”
She turned, to look out the window. “I suppose I could also just return to Earth?”
“If that’s what you want. Yes.”
“I assume that if I leave, I can’t come back again.”
“Also true. You can come back in the future after the earth is part of the federation.”
“Right.”
“Stay with me,” said Wen.
“How long until his sentence is up?”
“A hundred years.”
“A hundred!”
“Hey, that’s not so long in space. It’s not the same as on earth.”
“So, I can leave Earth behind and wait for Wen for a hundred tear-like years whatever that means out here, and See Wen every once in a while, leaving earth behind, or go back, and… I’ll be…”
“Dead before he gets out, yeah. The important thing is our next jump isn’t for about seventy-two hours, so there’s time to think about it. Assuming neither of you steals a ship and tries an escape, you can tell me in a couple of days.”
“If we steal a ship and try to escape?”
“We’ll shoot you down before you can reach Earth. Lots of automatic weaponry. I know little about it. If we miss, it’s a self-destruct. Okay?”
He hopped up, and shook Wen’s claw, then extended his hand to Janet. She shrugged and took it.
“Good,” He said. “Okay. Y’all are limited to decks A and B. You’re on a now. Your room is on B. I’ll be around. He threw them each a pass. Wear these. They’ll identify you and keep the elevator from taking you to decks C and D, which might cause them to explode.” He stopped, enjoying the shocked looks on Wen and Janet’s faces. “Not really. Just big alarms.” He chuckled.
“The passes will let you in your rooms, all that. I’ll be around. Smack the image of my face there on the card and I’ll get an alert you want to see me. Great way to annoy me frankly, if that’s what you’re after.”
“Okay.”
“See You shortly.” He left, the door closing quietly behind him.
They were alone, if you could call it that, in the glass conference room.
“Would you wait?”
“I’m thinking. Job’s gone. Can’t go back there. My family probably thinks I’m dead, anyway. I’ve got no ties. I’m ready to just sit and hate you for a couple of minutes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to wait for you, and I don’t want to wait for you. I want to go back to earth, and I want to get a ticket and just head out into the galaxy. I mean, what’s out there? How much is there to see? And, were you ever going to stop hiding, and tell me what was out here? I love you, but forgive me, you’ve never been able to communicate all that well.”
“I know. Sorry, but stay. Give space a chance. Visit me once in a while. See how it goes, then when I’m out, let’s see if we can make it work. In space, a hundred years of space travel isn’t the same.”
“Tell me about this Bacon place.”
“Bacon is, like he said, kind of a super prison. Everyone has secured apartments where they are supposed to stay, but the surface is covered in giant patrol robots that are supposed to blast anyone who tries to get out. No shop ships are allowed within the distance of a teleport machine.”
“Or?”
“Well the moons, three or four of them I think are little battle planetoids that will take shots at any ship that zaps anybody off-world, if they want to go, which means those in Bacon also take part in the planet’s defense.”
“Interesting.”
They watched the Earth. It sat under the sun, slowly rotating, and unable to see them.
“Come on, you lug. Show me around this spaceship.” She dragged him out of the conference room and they walked around the outer perimeter of the ship, which was all made of glass like the outer wall of the conference room, or at the least, they were clear windows, whatever they were made of. They walked, and walked, around the oblong ship, which was about the size of a football field, possibly a little longer. The forward pod was another large room and comprised a large triangular observation deck. It looked like it was set up for something closer to parties than conferences. They followed the earth as long as they could until they made it round to that front corner party room. It was empty save for two forward-facing couches and a line of tables at the back that looked like they were used to laying out food.
They left the forward lounge and walked back along the other side of the ship until they found the room opposite the room where they were held earlier. It was so dark. There were so many stars, but there was also so much darkness. She pressed her face against the window and looked out.
“How much life is out there?”
“The universe is teeming with life.”
“Everywhere?”
“Not all planets are safe harbors, but there are uses, minerals, or whatnot on any planet that are useful if you look for them.”
“But planets, like Earth?”
“There are a certain number of planets the federation would, rather. If he visited like yours, just get yet, but there are plenty of planets that are just fine.”
“Why’d you come to Earth?”
“Hiding.”
“And you met me.”
“And when you did, you should have screamed.”
“But I didn’t. I could tell you were kind. Why were you hiding?”
“I killed a man, in the wrong place at the wrong time, for both of us. That was the best mistake of my life, because of you.”
She took him in her arms and squeezed him tight. He ran a claw through her hair. “I so love you.” She kissed him, jumping into his arms.
“Does anyone else look like me? Or like you?”
“I’ve got a planet, yes, and we are not unknown about the galaxy, but humans are a little more well-known. You’ll find that there are pockets of you that have left the planet frequently, but there are also many other planets where the conditions were similar enough and similar enough creatures to yourself. You won’t be among just aliens. Even him back there, though he looks enough like you, is not from Earth.”
“It’s Interesting That now I’m the creature.” That made her laugh.
She took him by the claw and they walked around to the back of the ship. From there, across a rail, they could see the engines blasting behind the ship, at least at a dull roar to keep the ship lumbering through space to keep up with the earth.
They were low and blue, but she could feel the vibration coming from them, and this close to them they vibrated the floor, walls, and everything around them.
“Come on, this is cute, but,” she said.
“I’m with you,” he said. They turned the corner and walked back until they passed the first room they were in earlier, only passing one other person, who looked human save for light bluish skin and three eyes.
He nodded to them and waved back.
“Hi,” said Janet.
“Hello there.” He continued down the hall, on his way somewhere.
They returned to the middle. “Here we are,” said Wen. There a bank of doors stood. “Go, swipe your card at a door.”
“How?”
“Probably just have to get close to one.”
She walked over. Her turquoise heels hurt a little. The door gave a soft ding and opened wide.
“In we go.”
They walked on the elevator, and it closed behind them.
The elevator spoke to them. “Passes restricted to decks A and bB taking you up to deck B assuming that’s your destination.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“All right then,” said the elevator. In a blink, the doors opened again, and what was an orange gall was now in shades of blue. “Out you go, you have arrived at deck b.”
“Right.” She stepped off.
“This is probably all cabins.” They walked the perimeter again. This time, it was a hallway full of doorways on both sides. Every ten doorways, there was a lounge with a window in the space.
In the first lounge, three humans sat talking with someone that, to Janet, looked like a giant celery. They waved. One human, a young dark lady with slightly pointed ears, said, “Are you the one on the way to Bacon?”
“Yes,” said Wen. “News moves fast.” She looked at Janet, sizing her up. “Was she worth it?”
“Every minute.”
“Hey, I can talk to myself. Wen is one of the best people I’ve ever known. I love him, and I don’t care what you think about it.”
“I wasn’t, I didn’t…”
“Mean it?”
“Yeah. It’s a big galaxy, sorry, but this might be too much.”
“You know what? I think I’m just going to find out.”
She pulled her pass up from around her neck and smacked Burton’s face on it. “Yes, Janet?” She could hear his voice over the local speakers in the ceiling.
“I’m staying in space. Can I make that official?”
“Yep, thanks for letting me know. I’ll get the paperwork together and have it for you in the morning. Thanks.”
“Thank you.”
“Okay, Bye.”
His voice cut out, leaving some soft music playing.
“Where are our rooms?” She said.
“This way,” said Wen.
The celery snapped.