Star Runners: Dark Space

Chapter 4

4

Josh sipped his coffee and glanced again at his phone. Austin was twenty minutes late, which didn't concern him as much as the tone of his friend's text message earlier in the morning.

I Need To Speak With You. Lunch?

Josh had arrived early to the coffee shop, giving him enough time to enjoy a second cup until his hands jittered. Seeing high schoolers grabbing their drinks and talking about the upcoming Super Bowl, he thought of Kadyn. Perhaps she was right to wish she knew nothing of the "real" world.

Austin, his face pale and eyes sunken, finally stepped through the front door and found Josh. A faint smile appeared but faded. He weaved through the crowd, bypassing the growing line for caffeinated drinks and overpriced sandwiches.

"Hey man," Josh said, pushing the opposite chair out with his foot. "Was worried about you.”

"Sorry," he said, falling into the seat with a sigh. "We had some trouble getting going this morning."

"She okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Austin said, glancing at Marilyn before rolling his eyes. "I got her to the clinic for her exercise session. They wanted to try something new and had to explain it. I should have let you know. Sorry. Been a little scatterbrained this week."

"It was nothing. I got to sit here and watch all the high schoolers acting like they had drama going on. Remember those days?"

"Barely."

He sighed. “I do remember the lunchroom fight. That was quite an event."

Austin grinned. He leaned onto the table and laughed. "I remember you spent your whole suspension playing video games.”

They recalled the old days, from playing Star Runners to talking to girls in the hallways between classes. It was like they were back in high school for a few minutes. He released hearty laughs until his eyes watered. Other patrons looked in their direction. Time halted, and the men became boys again.

"And then your Dad stood in front of the tent with that flashlight on his face!" Josh slapped the table. "I thought for sure we'd found Bigfoot!”

Austin's face turned red as he leaned back. "I haven't thought of that in a long, long time. Man, I needed that."

As they caught their breaths, the humor darkened and Austin locked his fingers together in front of him.

"I realize now sometimes the universe pushes back just when you think your dreams have come true," he whispered, his eyes on the wall. "She's not going to be okay."

Josh blinked. "What's that?"

"Ryker," he said, rubbing his face. "Doc says they've done everything they can for her. They didn't tell her cause they didn't want her to lose hope, so they told me."

"I’m sorry."

"I didn't know who else to talk to," he said, his voice cracking. "I'm torn. I want to get back out there, get revenge for what they did to her, but I can't leave her. Not now."

Josh leaned forward. "What are they saying exactly?"

Taking a deep breath, Austin sat in silence. "What I'm about to tell you is classified, but I don't really care. You're my best friend."

"And you're mine. Tell me what you need to."

Austin laid it all on the line, told of the Scorpions and Ryker's rescue, how some scientist with the Zahl Empire had been using a psychic technology to conduct experiments to turn Legion Star Runners into obedient, mindless drones. A device implanted into Ryker's skull had partially detonated upon her extraction, wreaking havoc on many of her brain functions.

"Some of it's still in there," Austin said, sliding his fingers between the spilled grains of sugar on the table. "I've asked them about surgery, but the doctors say they don't understand the technology and any misstep could be fatal. The tech could spark and do more damage. Without a working model of the technology to go by for reference or even a way to shut it down, there's nothing they'll be able to do."

Josh sat in stunned silence, placing his hand over his mouth. "Good Lord, Austin."

"Yeah."

"They have any idea where this technology came from?"

"Guesses really. Nothing concrete. It's a big mystery. If Legion Command knows anything, they're not telling me."

"What happened to the operation? Is that scientist still out there?"

Austin's jaw muscles clenched and his hands balled into his fists. "No one's sure, but I think he is."

The crowd noise lessened as the lunch rush dissipated. Austin waved his hand in front of his face and shook his head.

"Anyway," he said, "I wanted you to know about this right away. Unless that identical technology's found, Ryker won't be getting better."

"I'm sorry."

"Me, too. Galaxy's a big place. Finding something to help her is kinda like searching for a single grain of sand on a beach. I'll be here for her, though. No matter what."

Josh wanted to say something to make the situation better. But nothing came to mind.

Austin was right: the galaxy is a big place. Countless worlds and stars were out there amidst the Legion and Zahl Empire, not to mention the mysterious Shoborian Coalition he'd heard little about, the Fringe and Dark Space. Different worlds and cultures all vying to scrape out their place in the universe. Not many people were knowledgeable enough to be able to hunt down a particular technology—

His stomach fluttered, and he tried to hide his excitement from Austin as if he held a winning hand at poker.

"I'm gonna grab a sandwich," Austin said, slapping his hands on the table and standing. He pointed at Josh's cup. "You wanna refill?"

"Sure. Thanks."

"Hope I didn't dump too much on you."

"It's what friends are for."

Austin left, leaving Josh to his gestating plan.

Pressing his fingers to his chin, he thought about helping Austin and fulfilling his promise to the Barracudas at the same time. In the brief time he'd known Waylon, the man seemed extremely knowledgeable about Quadrant Eight and, perhaps, even more. The Barracudas thrived in the cavern base of Sanctum, selling goods and supplies to worlds in need, apparently making a hefty profit along the way. Surely a man with so many ties to different worlds would be willing to help him locate a technology to assist Ryker. Healing the love of Austin's life would also lift the dark cloud covering his friend.

But he couldn't tell him.

First, Austin would only try to talk him out of it. On the other hand, he might get his hopes up Josh would be able to find a cure for Ryker. He couldn't do that to him.

Austin returned, a thick club sandwich dripping with olive oil on his paper plate. He passed over a refill.

"Did you want cream?" he asked.

"No, it's fine," Josh said, trying to hide his excitement. "I'm glad you wanted to meet today. There's something I've been thinking about for a while now."

"Yeah? You going to ask Kadyn to marry you?"

He froze. "Huh?"

Austin laughed, taking a huge bite of his sandwich. "People are talking."

"What people?" he asked, deflating. "Who?"

"Ryker said Kadyn was talking about settling down in the near future and Mom was all over that." He rolled his eyes. "Of course."

He looked away. "I don't know. I'd be no good for anyone right now."

"Sure you would."

"No," he said, locking eyes with Austin, "I wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Too much unfinished business up there." He ran his hand through his short hair. "It's what I wanted to talk to you about—not marriage."

Austin held his hands up in mock surrender. "I'm just reporting what I've heard. People like to talk. I don't think that'll ever change."

He sighed. “I’m thinking about taking some leave."

"You deserve it," Austin said, his mouth full. "You've been back a while now. You taking Kadyn somewhere?"

He rubbed his chin and watched the traffic. "Not exactly."

"Where then?"

Leaning over the table, he whispered, "You remember the ship I came back to Earth in? That one I borrowed?"

"Sure," Austin said, grabbing a napkin to wipe his mouth. "Simple triangular thing. We almost blew you out of the sky."

"Yeah. That's the one."

"What about it?"

"I promised I’d return it."

Austin set the sandwich down. "You're not serious."

"As a heart attack."

Staring at his sandwich, Austin rested his chin on his hand. "That vessel's probably so far back in deep storage on Atlantis you'll never get it out again—if it's still even there. Why would you want to go through all that trouble to return that ship?"

"I gave my word."

Austin snorted. “Going out there by yourself would be dangerous. You sure you shouldn’t let it go?“

“I wish I could.” He looked at his hands. “But I can’t. I made a promise. This is something I’ve got to do, or I’ll never be right.”

“I think I understand. Believe me. We all gotta do what we gotta do.” He wiped his mouth. "So you're leaving then?"

Josh nodded. "I still need to put in for leave and tell Kadyn. I won’t be gone long.”

He smiled. "You're a good man. I’d expect nothing less. How long are you going to be gone? You want me to go with you?"

"I don’t think so. Besides, you need to stay here with Ryker."

"I suppose so. Still, you're going to need some help cutting through the red tape of getting that vessel out of Atlantis."

Josh smiled. "You got anyone in mind?"

"I've got just the person to help you."

Josh left the car and hurried into the packed parking lot, nearly getting sideswiped by an SUV full of screaming children driven by a red-faced mother. Stepping back, he tightened the thick coat around his shoulders and winced as a sheet of icy rain smacked into his face. The January weather had done nothing to scare away shoppers searching for post-Christmas deals or returning gifts they hadn't wanted to the outlet stores in North Georgia.

As he stomped through the puddles, Josh wondered why in the world Austin's contact decided to meet so far away from Marietta. He’d only been to the outlet stores once in his life when he went with the cheerleading squad captain on a Saturday to pick up some joke T-shirts for the freshmen to wear. He’d never been much of a shopper.

As cold rain penetrated over his collar and down his back, he realized his sentiment on shopping hadn't changed. Why anyone would deal with crowds and this weather to shop was beyond him.

He finally made it to the food court and away from the miserable rain. The smell of fresh pretzels mixed with the sweet aroma of cotton candy. The roar of the rowdy crowd filled his ears. Wiping his face, he searched for the children's helicopter ride near the popcorn and found it in the center of the crowded area.

As he approached, he watched as a kid with a lollypop snatched a quarter from his mother and jumped on the red and blue copter. Soon the machine burst to life, the whirl of the helicopter's blades rising above the clamor, the position lights on the chopper's nose blinking. The boy giggled, smacking the dashboard covered in worn decals of gauges and screaming for the little machine to go higher.

Josh shook his head, bought the popcorn as Austin had instructed and sat on the black bench to watch the people pass.

The ride ended, prompting a vicious tantrum from the boy. The mother whisked him away, slapping him on his rear, an action only increasing the wailing until they went back out into the rain.

"Never wanted one of those myself."

Blinking, Josh looked over his shoulder to see another man about his age wearing a black, yellow and red Hawaiian shirt sitting on the opposite side of the bench. He had sandpaper stubble on his face and close-set eyes under dark sunglasses no one needed on a rainy day.

"Pardon?" Josh asked.

"Kids, I mean. Oh, right." He snorted and cleared his throat. "Know where I can get any birdseed?"

Josh nodded, remembering the code phrase Austin had given him. "Krista and Sherry are all out."

The guy laughed, resting his elbows on either side of him as he watched the people. "That they are. Guess you better stay frosty."

Frowning, he shook his head. "What's all this about? Are you Stetson Levine?"

"Not so loud," he said, sliding down the bench toward Josh, "but that's me."

He took a deep breath. "Why all the cloak and dagger crap?”

Stetson looked him in the eyes for the first time. "An old friend's idea of a joke."

"Austin?" Josh whispered, shaking his head. "What a turd."

Rubbing his mouth, Stetson said, "I think he just wanted to mess with you. He'd kill me for saying this, but he tried the same spy talk at this outlet mall when we had to meet not too long ago." He pointed at a store with colorful wooden crafts on tables outside the door. "Right over there, in fact."

"Really? What for? When?"

"Not important. You were, shall we say, busy at the time?"

And then Josh understood.

Austin had stopped here at the outlet mall when Javin Sharkey led them to the safe house in the mountains. Kadyn had been with them here, waiting in the car. She’d told him of the pursuit culminating in the forest shootout with the mercenaries.

"I was definitely busy," he said. "Things aren't as serious now."

"No," Stetson said, munching on popcorn, "but I dropped what I was doing as soon as Austin contacted me."

"You guys know each other well?"

He nodded, his eyes drifting toward the floor. “I’d do anything for that guy. He was my roommate at Tizona, and my friend when no one else would be."

Josh took a deep breath. "Yep, that's Austin. Loyal as they come."

"He said you'd been friends a long time."

"Since we were kids."

Stetson smiled. "Then what can I do for you, Josh?”

"You work in intelligence now?"

"That's the rumor."

He set the popcorn on the bench and folded his arms over his chest. "I need some help in Atlantis if you can."

"Possibly," he said, rubbing his index finger and thumb together. “Depends on what you need. That place is still undergoing repairs from the previous incident."

"I know,” he said, the sight of the wet floors and damaged rooms flashing in his mind. "It's not really any help with Atlantis itself, but something stored there."

"I see."

"Yeah. I need to get access to a ship I believe is still in the docks."

“I’d assume by coming to me that your actions wouldn't have anything to do with official orders."

Josh shook his head. "I don't have any orders period. I made a promise to return the ship to my friends, and I mean to keep it."

“Who are your friends?”

“A group called the Barracudas.”

Whipping out a notepad from his front pocket, Stetson started writing with a graphite pencil.

“Still rocking the notepad, huh?” Josh chuckled. “Budget cuts?”

“Can’t hack my notepad,” he said without smiling. “What else?”

Josh held his breath, wondering if he could trust this Stetson. Deciding to go for broke, he said, “I’m also hoping my friends might be able to provide some information to help Ryker."

“I see. You are a good friend.” Stetson stood, crumpling his popcorn bag into a ball and tossing it into the trash. "This stuff's too burnt. Not nearly as good as it used to be. I might have to choose a new spot to meet."

"So you can help me then?"

"I'll get it done.”

Before Josh could say another word, Stetson scurried into the crowd.

"Where have you been?"

Josh trudged through the doorway of Kadyn's apartment. "I'm sorry. I lost track of time."

"It's okay,” she said as he strolled into the kitchen. "I thought you wanted to go to the movies this afternoon."

He tossed his keys on the counter and glanced at the clock on the microwave. "Guess I'm a little late for that. We could still go tonight."

"That's fine," she said, tilting her head to the side. "Are you all right?"

"Sure," he said, leaning back on the counter and drinking a bottled water. "Why?"

She bit her lip. "I thought you said you were meeting Austin for breakfast."

He winced. "Oh, right."

Kadyn eyed him. "I called to check on Ryker this morning and imagine my surprise when Austin answered their phone."

And there it is, he thought. So much for his secrecy.

"I don't mean to hide things from you," he said, taking a deep breath. "I really don't."

"Is there someone else?"

"What?" He shook his head. "Never. Why would you say that?"

She looked at the ceiling. "You're always distracted—you've been like that since you returned. But you've never done this to me."

"Done what? Been late?"

"Lied to me," she said, locking her eyes on him. "We've been recovering together since you first approached me at the clinic. I always felt like we were a team until now. Something's changed."

"Listen," he said, reaching for her hands, "I made a promise to—"

"Don't." She pulled her hand away. "I don't want to hear any more about promises and keeping your word. What about your promise to me?"

“Promise?”

“You said you'd always be here." She pointed out the window toward the overcast sky. "But now you want to go back up there? How do I know you'll ever return?"

"It's just to take a ship back."

She shook her head. "It's not just about returning a ship. I've seen you staring at the stars. I've seen the longing in your eyes when you look at the images of those space planes on the game. You want to be back up there. I'm not enough for you here."

"Don't say that."

"This life's not enough for you," she said as if he hadn't spoken. "Don't try to tell me that's not true."

He sighed and moved toward the window. They stood in silence, neither looking at the other.

"You're right about one thing," he breathed, "I don't feel right.”

“Talk to someone.”

“I’ve been to the counselors. I've tried their exercises, taken their sleep aides. Still, I have nightmares."

"But I have them, too," she said, placing her hand on his back. "You know that. I haven't had an uninterrupted night's sleep since Austin woke me up and took me to the mountains.”

He turned to face her, framing his hands around her face. "If I don't do this, I'll never be any good for you. Please understand."

She closed her eyes. "It's not about honor. It's because you can't let it go. I feel it all the time, too."

He pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. "What do you mean?"

She looked at him with bloodshot eyes. "You can't unsee what you've seen just like I can't go back to a time when men in invisible suits weren't shooting at me. I wish I could, but I can't. I want to go back to a time when my biggest worries were binge-watching TV or reading celebrity gossip, but I can't. Those days are gone." Squeezing his hands, she pulled them away from her face. "And I don't think they'll ever come back."

Sliding her feet across the carpet leading to her bedroom, she kicked off her shoes and stood in the doorway without turning around.

"We thought we could come back here and this life would be enough for us," she murmured, "but it isn't. You can't let it go, and I can't get over it. All I want is to forget the things I know. All you want is to go back and face them. Do what you have to do, Josh, but leave me out of it."

"Kadyn, please."

He wanted to say more, but he couldn't find the words.

She took a step into her room, shutting the door behind her.