“What happened to you?” I asked.
“Bryson stopped by for a visit. Forced me to meet with his doctors. They ran a bunch of tests, gave me some pills, and I have to be honest, I only agreed to it so he’d leave me alone. But I feel great. Better than I have in years. I’ve already come up with some ideas about the mission.” He spoke fast, but his words were comforting. He looked a decade younger without the beard, and I told him so.
“You don’t have to flatter me, Arlo. I’m committed to this mission. Thanks for taking a chance on me. When you saw me on Titan… I was in a bad place,” he said.
“Glad to have you on board. We could use a brilliant mind like yours, and Varn needs someone to watch over him.” I grinned at Jinx and led him to the exit.
“I don’t think he likes me much,” Jinx admitted.
“You’ll grow on him.”
We returned to the meeting room, where the others waited. Varn and Luther were tossing a ball back and forth over the table, and Aster and Jade sat further from them, drinking coffees.
“Everyone, meet the new Jinx,” I told them, and smiled at their disbelieving expressions.
“You’re positive that’s the same guy?” Varn asked.
“The one and only,” I assured him. “Now if everyone is ready, let’s discuss the plan.” R11 stood in the corner of the room, and I waved him closer. “R11, join us.”
“Yes, Captain.” He came to the table, standing at the end beside me.
“What’s the bot doing here?” Varn asked.
“He’s a member of my team,” I answered.
“You’re so weird,” he mumbled.
We went into it, talking over the events of the upcoming weeks. While it was easy to strategize, things rarely went as planned. Complications would arise, issues would be dealt with, but having Varn, Aster, and Jinx on Killer, and Jade, Luther, and myself on Pilgrim, I was confident we were up to the task.
A few hours later, we were as prepared as we could be.
“Last night on Earth,” Luther said. “How about we grab some food?”
“Spitting Hog?” Jade asked.
“That’s the name of the place? You trying to give me food poisoning before we leave?” Varn pushed off from the table, rolling to the door in his chair.
“It was Holland’s favorite.” I missed having the kid around, and worried about him like he was my own little brother.
Varn didn’t protest after that.
R11 joined us, walking toward the island shopping district. It had poured rain for the morning, but now the sun was high, evaporating the water from the sidewalks. I took my time, appreciating the beauty of Hawaii, smelling the flowers and enjoying the heat. This might be my last time on Earth, and I wanted to remember this moment.
“You coming?” Jade had stopped, and I glanced over, seeing the rest of the team a half block ahead. I’d been lost in my own thoughts.
“You ever feel like you live things twice?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m already on Pilgrim, racing faster than light toward our destination, instead of being present in my body.”
“That’s something I understand only too well, Arlo.” Jade waited beside me, facing the ocean. Waves rolled up, breaking with a splash. “Bryson has built something special at SeaTech. It reminds me there are good people left. That with the proper leadership, we can have a better life.”
I’d seen where Jade grew up on the Moon, and despite the rich upbringing, she understood what true happiness was. That money never bought it, at least not permanently. “Bryson is too preoccupied with Catarina. I don’t think he can be the one to lead.”
“No. But there are other options.” She smiled at me, and I was warmer than the sun.
“Let’s get caught up. We don’t want Varn picking a fight before we order food.”
We continued on, and I had to ask the question burning in the back of my mind. “Was it hard to walk away from it all?”
“From Luna?”
“Yeah. Parents, uncle, the palace.”
“Not really. I only resided there when I was a kid. After I completed my education, I lived on my own, among the rest of the workers in the main dome. My parents hated it, but I wasn’t going to follow in their footsteps. I wanted to carve my own path,” she said.
“Good for you.” I thought about my grandfather, and all the advice he used to give me. Now that he was working with the enemy, everything I knew about myself was tainted.
The Spitting Hog was exactly as I remembered it. The digital cartoon pig rotated on the sign, and we entered into the cool air conditioning.
“Welcome to the Spitting Hog, where you get slops and hops for the best price on the farm. Link your PersaTab to learn more.” The 3D hog vanished as I stepped through it.
It was the middle of the afternoon, so the pub was mostly empty. A familiar man sat at the bar, and he turned in curiosity. I raised a hand, waving at Bard. “I’ll be right back,” I told Jade as she headed to the eight-person table.
“If it isn’t that Racer fella. Eagle?” he asked.
“Hawk. Call me Arlo,” I laughed.
He clutched a glass. “Here to buy me another drink?”
“You were right,” I told him. “About the aliens.”
“I knew it. No one believed me.” I bet Jinx and this guy would have a lot to talk about, but if I got the pair together, I’d never be able to drag Jinx out of here.
“Take care of yourself,” I told him, and he just nodded, muttering into his drink.
The waitress came over, smiling, and her face paled when she saw who she was serving. “Have you heard from Holland?” she asked.
“Sorry, we haven’t,” Jade told her.
“Damn it. I hope he’s okay,” she whispered.
“If he’s out there, we’ll find him,” I promised, and she brightened.
“What can I get you?”
We ordered food and drinks, and settled in for a routine meal,
