Their Solitary Way Read online

  “Another clear day,” she said, clasping her hands. “Want me to get the cards?”

  “Sure, if you feel like losing another game.”

  “Or twenty,” she said with a chuckle. “God knows we’re not going anywhere.”

  After a pretty boring twelve-hour shift in Security, Seth was more than ready to call it a day. He walked through the corridor and entered the elevator, anticipating sleep. This is what I get for staying up so late with Azura, he thought. He wanted nothing more than to collapse into the cushions of his couch, kick his boots off, and relax.

  Unfortunately, today had other plans.

  His wrist dinged, emitting a small light. A call from his brother Abel. He sighed, answering it.

  “Hi Seth,” said Abel. “Cain isn’t answering the com. Go check on him, please.”

  “I’d rather not,” said Seth. “Besides, you didn’t even ask. You just gave an order.”

  “Come on, Seth. You’re close to his quarters. It won’t take you long.”

  “I’m still not hearing a question.”

  “Fine. Can you please go see what Cain is doing?”

  “He’s probably asleep.”

  “It’s the middle of the afternoon,” said Abel. “Why would he be sleeping?”

  “He’s been working odd hours for the past month.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that.”

  Of course you don’t, thought Seth. Abel never was a very good listener. He always had a hundred things going through his head. “He told us both a few weeks before the switch. You’d remember if you paid more attention.”

  “Well, whatever. I guess I forgot. Dad wants him to come by tomorrow for dinner. We need you to swing by and tell him.”

  “Fine,” said Seth.

  “Great,” said Abel, and then the com went dead.

  Seth sighed again and pressed the elevator button. Cain’s quarters were near one of the population bays—a housing location for nearly ten thousand future colonists. They slept in cryogenic pods, waiting for the Eden to arrive at its eventual destination. Given the limited resources available and the potential length of the mission, cryogenics remained one of the few viable solutions for deep space colonization. The ship carried farmers, botanists, chemists, medical doctors, immunologists, allergists, carpenters, construction workers, welders, electrical engineers, project managers, and a slew of other experts across a wide array of fields, each resting comfortably inside their little pods. The Eden had filled its bays with as many survivors as possible, all in an effort to give humanity a second chance.

  Seth couldn’t wait for it to be over. He missed the open fields of Fiore. The soft heat of the afternoon sun. He recalled the long walks through the nearby woods and the small brook down the hill from his home. He and Cain had often played there as children.

  The war had ravaged that world, decimating the Empire and all her colonies. He would never set foot there again, never see the countryside of his youth or play in the field with his brother. If he had children, they’d never know the home of their ancestors.

  But at least they’ll be alive, he thought. That has to count for something.

  The elevator doors opened, pulling him from his thoughts. Cain’s room was a few doors down. Seth found it quickly, touching the button on the wall to announce himself. He waited, then pressed it a second time.

  “Alright, alright,” said a muffled voice from the other side.

  Seth heard what sounded like a box falling. Before he could ask about it, the door opened. Cain had a spoon in his mouth and half his shirt on, like he’d tried and then gave up. His frizzy, red hair stuck to one side, and his bloodshot, green eyes seemed to suggest he was sleeping.

  “Hey. Something wrong?” asked Cain. He licked his lips. Behind him, a darkened room, with only the soft glow of a computer screen to serve as a light source. Cain enjoyed watching old world entertainment, often losing track of time while binging for hours. Even days.

  “Abel asked me to check on you. Father wants us to come by tomorrow for dinner.”

  Cain scrunched his nose, almost disgusted by the notion. “Do I have to?”

  “I’d rather not go either, but you know how it is.”

  “Tell them I’m busy,” he said quickly. “Say I’ve got a project to work on.”

  Seth peaked over his brother’s shoulder at the computer screen on the far side of the room. “Does it have something to do with Star Quest?”

  “I finished that game. I’m on Razor’s Rocket now. It’s a spinoff from SQ about Razor Maddox, one of the side characters.”

  “I stand corrected,” said Seth.

  “Ugh, fine. I’ll go,” said Cain. “Not promising I’ll stay very long, though.”

  “Thanks. You know I can’t do these things on my own.”

  “Yeah, yeah. No need to guilt me. I said I’d go.”

  They laughed together, and Seth was glad to see his brother smile.

  Seth woke from his nap to the sound of the door opening. He’d fallen asleep on the sofa, apparently. Azura stood at the entryway, taking off her jacket and setting it on the wall rack. As he sat up, she beamed a smile his way, and he returned it. “Welcome back.”

  She fell into the cushions of the couch, swinging her feet over his knees, and threw her face into his chest. “I had such a stupid day,” she moaned.

  He chuckled, putting his arm around her neck. “What happened?”

  She sighed. “Lots of problems on the ship. There were a few power outages near engineering. I spent the whole day trying to find out why, but no one knows. Lilith is still working on it.”

  “Any ideas what it could be?” asked Seth.

  “I honestly have no idea. Engineering checked everything. The power core is stable. The diagnosis they ran came up empty. Even Lilith hasn’t found anything. It’s infuriating.” She gently punched his thigh. “I hate my job.”

  “Today, you do.”

  “What?”

  “You hate your job today. Last week you loved it.”

  She scoffed and laid her head on his lap. “Fine,” she said. “I only hate it today.”

  “That’s the spirit.”

  “Quiet, you.”

  “Don’t forget we’ve got that dinner tomorrow,” said Seth.

  “That should be nice and awkward. Is Cain going?”

  “He’s not happy about it, but he’ll be there.”

  “Poor guy,” she said, closing her eyes.

  “Yeah,” said Seth, letting out a long sigh. “Poor guy.”

  They sat in silence for a while, holding one another, and soon they fell asleep, together at last. The night faded with ease, until a few hours after midnight when Azura stirred and woke him. She took him by the hand, kissing his neck and laying him on the bed.

  A beam of light from the hall hit her, revealing her eyes—rapture blue with spots of red—and he melted, completely entranced.

  Suddenly, tomorrow morning’s shift no longer mattered, nor did his exhaustion. He was consumed, the same as he had been all those years ago, back on Fiore, when Adam had brought her to their farm in the country, far from the noise of the capitol.

  Azura was thin and tired in those days, with lines on her face from weeks of crying, her father barely in the ground. Seth watched as she stepped out of the car. Her doe eyes glistened with tears as she stood before him, there on the steps of his father’s house. She held a bag with both her hands, her entire world reduced to a single piece of luggage.

  He went to her, there under the Fiore sun. “Hey,” he said, his voice cracking.

  She stared at him with puffy cheeks and bloodshot eyes. “Hello.”

  She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and like any sixteen-year-old boy, he loved her immediately.

  Three

  Cain stretched and yawned. He was going on three hours of sleep, but he didn’t care. Sleep was a distraction. He was much more intereste
d in repairing this microprocessor.

  He sat in his room with his soldering pen, melting and fusing a piece of metal. The tip of the pen heated itself to dangerous levels, so he had to take special precautions when using it. He wore gloves and a mask, being careful not to burn himself or breathe in the fumes. The ship’s safety policy prohibited this kind of work outside designated work centers, but Cain didn’t care. He preferred the solitude of his quarters.

  He tapped the iron with his pen, sending fumes into the air. A fan whirled nearby, pushing the gray smoke away, dispersing it. He couldn’t spend much time on this today. His shift in engineering started soon.

  No matter. He could always finish up after—

  Oh, right. He had that family dinner today. He’d almost forgotten. Damn, he thought. So much for productivity.

  Cain turned the pen off and set it on the table. He ran through a few different scenarios, trying to think of an excuse not to go. He could say he had work to do. They’d probably complain, but so what? It’s not like they really wanted him there.

  No, that wasn’t true. Seth had asked him to come, and he’d meant it. Maybe I’ll go and stay an hour…then leave. That should be good. Cain put his tools away, glancing at the clock on his computer screen. Crap. He waited too long. He’d be late now. Should’ve planned better, he thought. Oh well.

  He pulled off the gloves and mask, tossing them into the recycling unit under the table. He didn’t have time to take a shower today. Hopefully no one would notice. To compensate, he rinsed his face and hair, dabbing his arms and neck with a cloth.

  On the way to engineering, his communicator beeped. He tapped the screen and accepted the call. It was Ariel, one of his coworkers. “Yeah?” he asked, before she could say anything.

  “You’re late again,” she said.

  “I know. I was busy.”

  “You’re always busy. What was it this time? Another project?”

  He entered the elevator. The doors slid closed. “Whatever.”

  “Don’t worry. I covered for you. I told everyone you were checking the outage on deck sixteen.”

  “What outage?” asked Cain.

  “It happened a few minutes before the shift change. The power in one of the compartments went down for a few minutes.”

  “Did Lilith already run a diagnostic check?”

  “Yes, but she didn’t find anything. It’s the third outage in the area this week, which means someone has to go there in person.”

  “Great.”

  “Better hurry. I told them you were already on your way.” The com clicked off and she vanished.

  Cain tapped the button for deck sixteen. He sighed as the lift trembled with movement. The day was already off to such a wonderful start.

  Deck sixteen was largely unmanned. Like half the shift, the bulk of the floor had been repurposed into storage rooms. Some of the crew had quarters on this level, but those were closer to the forward section, far from his destination.

  Which was good, because he preferred his isolation. People, for their part, were largely annoying, stupid, selfish little beings. Only a few had genuine interest in anyone other than themselves. They gossiped, cheated, talked bad about their friends. They spread rumors, betrayed, and calculated. And for what? To feel better about themselves?

  None of them were worth a damn, except perhaps his brother Seth…and maybe Ariel. The rest could go and rot.

  He found the maintenance closet and grabbed one of the toolkits—a medium-sized orange box containing some basic supplies and a scanner. Every deck had several of these for quick repairs. If the problem was serious, he’d return with some proper gear from Engineering.

  He located the hatch closest to where the outage had occurred and, using his omni-tool, unscrewed the metal and set it on the floor. He squeezed into the wall behind several bundles of wiring and hard metal, and then shuffled several feet to the nearest circuit port.

  Opening the maintenance box, he powered on the scanner and inserted the cable. It would take several minutes for a full diagnostic, so he set the machine on top of the port, and sat on the floor. It was a tight space, but he was small, and fit without an issue. After a few moments, he laid back, placing his hands on his sides. He felt the walls touching his arms and hips, preventing him from squirming or moving. He wondered if this was how a coffin felt, and a sudden chill ran down his neck.

  “This is no time to be sleeping,” said a gentle voice from inside the wall.

  Cain popped up and looked at his wrist. The receiver light, which normally showed all incoming calls, was empty. “Who’s there?”

  “It’s Lilith,” she said. “Who else would it be?”

  He relaxed a bit. “Do you always sneak up on people when they’re alone?”

  She giggled. “I saw you got assigned here. Double-checking my analysis, hm? Thought I’d check and see how it was going.”

  “I’m running the scan now. It should be done in a minute.”

  “Oh, goody. I’d love to know what’s happening with these outages.”

  Cain got to his feet and checked the scanner—a few more minutes. “Have any theories?” he asked.

  “We passed an electrical field a few months ago. It may have caused some issues in the grid.”

  “Could be,” he said, leaning against the wall.

  “In any case, there’s yet to be any serious problems. All small stuff. I’m not worried.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Guess so.”

  “Are you going to your father’s tonight?” she asked.

  The question surprised him. He’d known Lilith for years, of course. She was a trusted friend of his father’s, but Cain had never spent much time with her. “Why do you ask?”

  “Just asking. It sounds like a fun evening. I might even go.”

  “So Father invited you, too?” asked Cain.

  “Not yet, but he always does. So, how about it? Are you going?”

  “Sure, I’ll be there,” he answered. “Can’t promise I’ll stick around, though.”

  “You don’t sound very excited. Don’t you want to see the family?”

  He hesitated, uncertain of what to say. Now that she’d asked him about it directly, he didn’t really have an answer.

  “Don’t worry. I don’t blame you,” she said.

  “Huh?”

  “Social functions were never my thing, either,” she admitted. “And family get-togethers? Those are always a disaster.”

  Her candid answer surprised him. “No argument there.”

  She laughed. “I try to pretend like I enjoy them, but It’s all an act, I assure you. I’m actually pretty nervous with people. I’ve just gotten good at hiding it.”

  He smiled a bit.

  The scanner beeped. “Done already?” she asked.

  The screen on the device showed no detectable problems with the systems or the grid. Now he could get out of here. “Looks like your scans were right the first time.” He unplugged the device and placed it back inside the supplies kit.

  “No one knows my ship better than me,” she said, a hint of pride in her voice. “This old girl’s rock solid.”

  “How long until we begin the deceleration process?” asked Adam. He sat in his chair on the bridge, trying to sludge through the day’s paperwork. He had to sign off on several transfers and two promotions. Not exactly the most exciting work for a veteran soldier, but no matter.

  “About forty-eight hours,” said Lilith, running her fingers through her gorgeous red hair. “Once the process begins, it should take us less than three days to arrive at the next planet.”

  “Think we’ll find anything?” asked Adam.

  “Who knows?” she asked. “It seemed promising on the long range scans.”

  “They’re always promising,” Adam reminded her. “You were convinced the second one was going to be a paradise, but then we got there and it was covered in radiation.”

 
“Now don’t go blaming me for that,” she said, scrunching her nose.

  He chuckled. “Of course not.” He leaned back in his chair and thumbed through the reports from each department. Most of it was mundane. Typical readouts and performance assessments. There was one exception, however. Engineering noted and repaired another power outage. It was the third one this month alone. He didn’t even want to guess how many there had been in total. “Lilith, do you know anything about this blackout from last night?”

  “I helped the chief make repairs with his crew. Everything should be operational.”

  “But do we know what caused it?”

  She frowned. “I’m afraid not. My best guess is residual radiation from the electrical storm we passed through a while ago.”

  Adam hated seeing his ship in this sort of condition, but what could he do? No one had any real answers. Only guesswork. Maybe some new information would come to light soon, but for now Engineering would have to do their best to hold things together.

  “Tomorrow should be fun,” said Lilith.

  He blinked. “Huh?”

  “The dinner you’re having with the kids,” said Lilith.

  “Oh, right. I almost forgot.”

  “It’s been a while since everyone got together,” she said, twirling around. As she spun, an elegant silver dress materialized, lined with blue and covered in diamonds. “What do you think? Too formal?” She snapped her fingers and the dress morphed into a short summer skirt. “Maybe something more casual?”

  “Actually, I was planning to talk to you about that,” he said. “I’d like for you to be there, but…” He paused, trying to put together the words.

  “What is it?”

  “The thing is, Eve wants this to be a family thing. A chance for us to reconnect with the kids, particularly Cain.”

  Lilith took a moment to answer. “I see,” she finally said. Her clothes transformed back into her military uniform. “I understand.”

  “Maybe you and I can play a game afterwards, once everyone leaves. How’s that?”

  She smiled, nodding. “Sure.”

  “So you’re not mad?” he asked. He’d expected more of a reaction.