Foresight, page 4
“I can do this all day,” Luke replied. “It beats sitting there twiddling my thumbs.”
“Breaking into the simulator room was your idea,” Scott said. He sat on the far side of the bench, feet up on the minimal cushioning and back against the adjacent wall, arms folded over his knees. “The least you can do is try not to be annoying for the entire day.”
Luke tossed the ball again, catching it cleanly as it returned. “You know I can’t stop being annoying,” he replied. “It’s in my DNA. I get bored easily.”
“And that’s not boring?” Briar asked.
Luke shrugged. The act itself was boring. But getting a rise out of his friends provided a measure of entertainment for all of them. Otherwise, they would be sitting around the cell in mopey silence worrying about how much trouble they were going to be in with their parents.
“My father will be here eventually,” he said. “He’ll talk to the MPs like he always does, and get us out of here like he always does.”
“One of these days he isn’t going to come bail us out,” Briar said. “He’s going to get sick of your shit.”
“My shit? You went along with the idea.”
“Because you swore we wouldn’t get caught.” She lowered her voice, mimicking his. “The simulator room has basic security and no cameras. I used my dad’s datapad to make sure nobody’s scheduled for training. We can set the simulators into combat mode and dogfight one another. It’ll be awesome.” She exhaled sharply, shaking her head. “Except one: you’re the only one who knows how to work the simulators. And two: we got caught.”
“You were starting to get the hang of it,” Luke countered, bouncing the ball off the wall again. “You managed to get off the ground at least, unlike monkey-boy here.” He looked over at Scott. “Big muscles. No finesse.”
“Keep it up and me and my big muscles will come over there and shut you up,” Scott shot back, turning his frown on Briar. “What are you so worried about anyway, B?” He smirked at her. “Captain Shepherd will clear things up.”
“With the MPs maybe,” Briar said. “I still have to deal with my parents. They told me last time that the next time I get in trouble they would confine me to quarters.” She grunted in frustration. “The rules here are ridiculous. I’m almost eighteen. They shouldn’t be able to ground me.”
“Just be glad you aren’t eighteen,” Luke said. “Regs are regs. Once you’re no longer a minor the MPs can lock you up for good. Or more likely, you’ll be conscripted into the USSF Marine Corps, where it’s pretty much assured that you won’t see nineteen. Besides, you only have to spend a couple of days in your suite watching old movies until your folks forget they were mad at you. I can think of worse punishments.”
“A girl can only watch Star Wars so many times before it gets old.”
“Blasphemy,” Scott said.
Briar raised an eyebrow toward him. “It’s really not that great.”
“Guards!” Scott shouted. “Get me out of here. I can’t share a cell with a Star Wars hater.”
“I can’t share a cell with a Star Wars fanboy,” Briar countered. “The original movie is what? Seventy-five years old?”
“And it still holds up.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Guards!” Scott shouted again.
Luke bounced the ball off the wall again. Before he could catch the return, a second hand swept in front of him, snatching the ball away.
“Enough already,” Jennifer said, quiet until now, obviously stewing in her own juices. She tucked the ball into the pocket of her jeans. “You’re giving all of us a headache.”
“I can still get that back,” Luke said, reaching toward her pants pocket.
“Not if you want to keep your hand,” she replied, grabbing his wrist and twisting him into an arm drag, until she was behind him with one hand under his left arm, the other across his chest, her forearm digging into his neck.
“Owned,” Scott crowed as Luke struggled, unable to break free.
“Okay, okay,” Luke said, laughing. “You got me this time.”
“I get you every time,” Jennifer said, letting him go. “I’ve offered to teach you, but you only like to do things you’re better at than us.”
“That isn’t true,” Luke said. “I like to do things that are fun. We’ll be headed off to the arkship any day now. I won’t need to know Marine restraint holds once we’re on board.”
“You won’t need to know how to fly an experimental starship either,” Briar countered. “That didn’t stop you from learning.”
“You’re just jealous because I have a cool dad. Not a pair of nerdy scientists for parents.”
“Your cool dad would die down here with everyone else if not for my nerdy parents,” Briar said.
“My mother can kick your father’s ass,” Jennifer said.
“Please,” Scott said. “You all sound like you’re five. At least you still have parents.”
The comment silenced the banter instantly.
“I’m sorry, Scott,” Luke said, the wind sucked out of his sails.
His friend’s mother had died from the original sickness that had fallen to Earth with the trife. His father was slaughtered by the aliens during their escape from Baton Rouge. Unlike the majority of the civilians here, he hadn’t been airlifted from a hot spot and brought in as a VIP or relative of a VIP set to work on Project Foresight. He had crossed the wastelands on his own, surviving weeks outside alone with the trife. Luke knew Scott had seen horrible things out there, things he refused to talk about. Not only violence between human and trife, but between human and human. It had taken weeks for Luke to get Scott to warm up to him and his group of friends. The trauma was real. But the fun they had together provided good therapy for the other teenager and helped him forget about his ordeal...most of the time.
Of course, they all had stories they could tell. They had all lost at least one person they had known or cared about to the sickness or the trife. Luke had lost both sets of grandparents. Briar, her brother and sister. Jennifer, her father and three brothers. Nobody had gotten through this unscathed.
That’s why they had to stick together. That’s why they had to depend on one another.
And never waste a single second of life, because every one they had was a gift.
“Me too,” Jennifer said.
“We’re your family now, bro,” Briar added. “Even if you do like Star Wars.”
Scott laughed. “Thanks, B.”
The security door to the holding area opened. One of the MPs stepped up to their cell door.
“See,” Luke said to the others. “I told you he would come.”
The MP used his fingerprint to unlock the door, pulling it open. “Let’s go, Shepherd.”
“What about my friends?” Luke asked.
The MPs’ eyes shifted to the group. Briar and Jennifer offered hopeful expressions, while Scott continued brooding. “Just you this time, kid,” he said to Luke.
Briar groaned. Luke winced. Normally, the MP let them all walk and his father chewed him out once they got back to their quarters.
He didn’t think any of them would be so lucky this time.
Chapter 7
Nicholas remained seated as the door to the small interview room opened and the MP ushered Luke in.
“Dad,” Luke said, offering a sheepish smile Nicholas had seen hundreds of times over his son’s lifetime. When Luke was younger, the smile had successfully disarmed the worst of his anger or frustration over the boy’s carefree mindset and reckless choices. Even as soon as a few weeks ago, he might have let the small dimples on Luke’s cheeks and the wrinkling around his eyes dissuade him from making a big deal out of the latest transgression.
But needing to retrieve the kid from holding so he could get him ready for a dinner with Aaron Grimmel had sent a wave of embarrassed anger rocketing through him, and he wasn’t quite ready to forgive.
Luke’s smile faded when Nicholas didn’t budge from his seat at a small, empty table, instead maintaining his rigid posture, a stern expression on his face.
“Sit,” he ordered, glaring at Luke as he pointed to the metal chair on the other side of the table.
Any hint of relief or thought of another rescue vanishing from his face, Luke walked over, pulled out the chair and sat down as instructed. He folded his hands in his lap and waited for the hammer to fall.
Nicholas glanced at the MP. “Thank you, Justin.”
“Any time, Captain Shepherd.”
“Well, I’m going to make sure this is the last time.”
“Yes, sir.” The MP left the room, closing the door behind him.
“Dad,” Luke started. “I know you’re mad at me, but—”
“Shut up,” Nicholas hissed.
‘But Dad, I promised last time I wouldn’t do anything to get in trouble before Project Foresight wrapped up. And—”
“Just. Stop. Talking.”
Luke fell silent, jaw tight. Those three words spoken softly were more menacing than had his dad shouted them.
Nicholas stared at him, letting him squirm, if not physically, then mentally, for a few heartbeats before he pressed his forearms to the table and leaned forward. “Do you want to join the Marines, Luke?” he asked sharply. “Is that why you’re so completely incapable of going two weeks without doing something stupid?”
“What? No, Dad. I—”
“Shut. Up.” Nicholas growled, silencing him again. “I’ll tell you when I want you to speak.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nicholas fell silent again too, returning to his cold stare. He didn’t want to have the same conversation with Luke that he’d already had a dozen times before. He needed a new tactic. Something that might sink in.
“Do you know how I heard you were locked up?” he asked, pleased when Luke didn’t say anything. “Corporal Duffy told me while I was strapped into the pilot’s seat of Foresight. Right before takeoff of the most important mission I’ve ever flown, and only seconds before Aaron Grimmel walked into the CIC. Do you know who Aaron Grimmel is, Luke?”
Luke opened his mouth, reconsidered, and settled for a nod.
“I don’t need to tell you again how hard your mother and I are working, and why. I’m sorry we can’t be there for you the way you want or might need. At your age, I would have thought you would understand the trouble we’re in and realize how lucky you are just to be alive.”
“I do, Dad,” Luke said, jumping in. “That’s exactly the point. I—”
A fresh glare shut him down. But Nicholas had to hand it to him; he didn’t shrink back. He didn’t even look down at the table. He continued to meet him, eye-to-eye.
“I wish I could teach you to respect the people out there fighting to keep us alive here night after night. Maybe we’ve been safe here so long that you think they’ll be able to hold out forever. Every last Marine out there…” He pointed at the door. “...believes that too, but only because they have to believe it if they want to stay sane. In the back of their minds, they know that sooner or later the trife will overpower our defenses. Or a shipment of fresh ammunition won’t come through. Or maybe the depot itself will fall and we’ll lose our supply lines. Every single one of them knows that odds are they’re going to die. Those odds are greater than ninety percent, I would say. Do you think they want to spend every night fighting to protect a bunch of scientists and their kids? Especially when those kids think this base is their own personal frigging playground!” Nicholas shouted, Luke finally flinching.
This wasn’t the way Nicholas had intended for his talk to go, but he couldn’t keep his anger under wraps anymore.
“I’ve had it Luke! I’ve had it with your immature bullshit. The acting out. The need to be the center of attention. I’ve had it with you putting a strain on our resources, with your disrespect and disregard for the rules, and I’ve most of all had it with your assumption that I’ll always come and smooth things over. I’ve tried that a bunch of times now, and do you know what I’ve gotten in return?” He paused, glaring at Luke. “Go ahead, answer me.”
“I don’t know,” Luke said softly. “Nothing...I guess.”
Nicholas smiled sardonically. “Nothing would actually be a net positive at this point. Not only do your antics make me look bad to my superiors, Sergeant Bruce whom I highly respect, and all the other MPs, you made your mom and me look bad in front of Aaron Grimmel. And that’s not even the worst of it. I’ve been down here six times in the last year. I’ve never seen anyone besides you and your friends in the holding cells. Not one other person. You seem to be the only misfits in this entire compound that can’t look past yourselves to see there’s something bigger than you going on here. And I can’t even begin to describe how furious that makes me.”
Nicholas was certain his body language helped that description. His face pounded from the increased blood flow of his anger, his one hand balled into a fist on the table, his other forefinger jabbing at the air in front of Luke’s face.
“I just wanted to fly Foresight,” Luke said. “I know the Marines are putting their lives on the line for us. I know they’re making a huge sacrifice. But try living in here sometime, Dad. Too old to be in school. Too young to be part of the solution. Waiting to start a new life on an arkship. We’re stuck in Purgatory, spending every day with nothing to do and every night waiting for the trife to break through and kill us in our sleep. At least you and Mom have a purpose. A role here. Something to keep you occupied so you aren’t constantly trying to find any distraction you can to forget we have to leave Earth, the only home we’ve ever known, before the trife kill us. To forget that so many people you cared about are dead.”
The statement drained the anger out of Nicholas. His raised arm dropped to the tabletop, his glare changing from fury to surprise. Damn Luke for finding another way to disarm him.
“I didn’t think there was any harm in helping my friends enjoy their last days on Earth instead of spending them doing too much thinking about what’s going on out there. And being scared all the time. Honestly, I didn’t think anyone would know we were in there. We’re all just trying to find a way to survive, Dad. To make it through from one day to the next.”
Luke had tears in his eyes as he spoke, which nearly caused Nicholas to tear up too. He hated being a hard-ass when it came to the kid, but whether he could relate to what Luke had said or not, he couldn’t just let him off the hook. Not this time.
“I get it, Luke. Believe it or not. But that doesn’t give you the right to spit in the face of the men and women who are busting their asses day and night to keep you safe. You could have come to me first and asked me about the sims. I’m sure I would have been able to arrange something. I’ve got some clout around here, you know.”
Nicholas nodded. “Yeah. You’re right. I know. It was spur of the moment, and I didn’t think. Scott lost his whole family out there, and Briar’s been really down lately. Jen’s a harder read, but I could tell she was getting stir crazy too.”
“You’re a good friend. Kind. Compassionate. A natural leader. But you need to stop leading your people in the wrong direction.” He paused to think. “You said you need something useful to do?”
Luke’s face tightened. “Yeah,” he replied hesitantly.
Nicholas sat back in his chair, the tension leaving his shoulders “I have an idea.”
Chapter 8
Nicholas used his best drill-sergeant face as he entered the holding area, his eyes squaring on Luke’s friends. He had met all of them before, of course. He had already bailed them out of holding several times for different acts of mischief. In retrospect, he realized he should have tried harder to solve their problem before it had come to this, but it wasn’t as if he’d had a lot of free time to give consideration to his son’s personal life.
And that was a sad revelation.
Nicholas sighed heavily.
Not only had it been a mistake, it didn’t reflect well on him as a parent. Or on the USSF. Luke and his friends were caught in that limbo area between teenagers and adults. Without guidance, they had found their own ways to meet their needs. To cope.
Luke had opened up to him in a way he hadn’t before, fighting harder to help him understand the root cause of their insubordination rather than simply apologizing and telling him it wouldn’t happen again. Maybe because they both knew that promise wouldn’t stick if something didn’t change. Nicholas was thankful for the chance to try to fix things for Luke, and maybe for his friends too. Like he had told his son, he had some clout within the facility.
“Captain Shepherd, sir,” Jennifer said, always the first to speak after Luke. She didn’t quite stand at attention, but she took a more respectful posture behind the bars of the cell, making eye contact with him when he looked at her.
Briar jumped up from the bench after Jennifer spoke, joining her at the bars to the cell. Scott remained on the bench, looking across at him from there, his expression still flat.
“Captain Shepherd, is Luke okay?” Briar asked.
“Why wouldn’t he be okay?” Scott said from where he remained sitting on a bench. “His father isn’t going to kill him.”
“Luke’s waiting for you outside,” Nicholas said, keeping his face tight. “He’s only outside instead of in here because we made a deal. The same deal I’m going to offer you.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Briar said.
“You aren’t bailing us out this time?” Scott asked.
“Without strings? No. Not this time.”
Scott nodded, barely affected by the statement. Nicholas understood why. The cell was still a thousand times better than being out in the wilds with the trife.
“What do we need to do, sir?” Jennifer asked.
“Luke told me you’re bored. Like you’re just stuck here waiting to be delivered to the arkship with no way to make a positive contribution. Is that true?”
The three teens looked at one another, unsure how they should answer. Of course, Jennifer spoke up first.
