Science Fiction

The Time it Takes to Die–Chp1-Pt2

Conclusion of Chapter One

This is a continuation of chapter one of my SciFi WIP. You may read the first part of the chapter here: The Time it Takes to Die

Mars

Just weeks after Leo’s murder on Earth, Anna Sinclair paced the length of the passenger lounge of Delta Colony’s shuttle port on Mars. How had Yianelle ever gotten into such a mess? The Inter-Planetary Press (IPP) reports from Earth had been so vague. Reporting said the investigation was still ongoing.

The ease and speed with which Yianelle had been able to arrange the flight back to Mars was surprising. Being given a special dispensation to avoid quarantine for her cat which she was bringing with her was astonishing. However, it was downright shocking that she had gained clearance to leave Earth at all while the investigation was ongoing.

She had so many questions. But at this point, Anna was just thankful Yianelle was coming home. One thing was certain, the assassin would’ve killed Yianelle too if this Leo person hadn’t killed the man first, before then dying himself. Thinking about it, Anna couldn’t quite suppress a shudder.

She was relieved when the shuttle began disembarking and composed herself forcefully. Anna greeted Yianelle with her best smile and a warm hug over the pet carrier and carry-on luggage with which Yianelle was weighted down. As she relieved her friend of half her burden, Anna noticed the raw place on Yianelle’s cheek, barely concealed by an apple green scarf, draped artfully across that side of her face.

“Yiani, I’m so glad to see you!” Anna said with studied enthusiasm, as they headed toward the exit nearest the parking structure.

“Good to be seen,” Yianelle replied softly, with a rather dreadful attempt at a smile. The painful seriousness in her green eyes — somehow paler than remembered — screamed deafening volumes to Anna.

In awkward silence, Anna led the way in the parking structure to her little blue RXJ-7 convertible hovercar. As she glided the hovercar smoothly into the air traffic, Anna tried to start a light conversation. “How was your trip?”

Yianelle’s only response was a slight shrug.

Anna continued determinedly, “Your boss must be really generous to give you six months paid leave.”

Yianelle just looked at her searchingly, seeming to want to respond, but remained silent.

Anna squeezed her friend’s hand, hoping to communicate, It’s alright. You’re safe now… not alone anymore. Aloud, she said as cheerfully as she could muster, “I’ve really missed you!”

Yianelle adjusted the scarf to better obscure her raw cheek. “I’ve missed you too,” she began, then trailed off with, “…you don’t know how much.” Her expression was disturbingly drawn and furtive.

A plaintive meow drew her attention. She seemed to push back a dark curtain and smiled warmly. “You remember Colby,” she said, indicating the pet carrier. “I just couldn’t be away from him for six whole months. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. But, I don’t know how Brynn will take it. She’s rather a snob.” Anna warned.

Yianelle laughed — Anna wished it had been more convincing — and replied, “Colby’ll win her over. Everyone loves him. Why the last thing Leo said…” Yianelle broke off with a hitch in her voice, descending into a silence that discouraged any attempts at conversation.

They rode in uneasy silence the rest of the way to Anna’s modest condo in an upscale suburb of Delta Colony. As they unloaded the luggage, a puttering old hovercar emitted an explosive popping sound as it rose into the air for take-off. Anna glimpsed a flash of gold eyes and a black blur of the Siamese escaping the pet carrier when Yianelle dropped it.

As she dropped it, she whirled around with white-rimmed, panic-stricken eyes looking for assassins with ancient twentieth-century guns aimed at her. Anna captured Colby as he leaped from under the car, suffering only one painfully deep slice across her forearm from those classic Siamese razor-sharp claws.

Anna hurried around the car to her friend. Yianelle’s eyes were shut tight against a very personal terror, as she sank to the pavement beside the hovercar. Yianelle sat on the tarmac, tightly hugging her knees, with her head pressed face down against them.

“Yiani?” Anna laid her hand gently on her friend’s shoulder. The cat yowled in protest at his mistress as Anna repeated her name urgently.

Yianelle lifted her eyes, fixated momentarily upon her scarf as it fluttered away in the constant breeze of the air return near Anna’s assigned parking space. She continued her stricken gaze into the distance for several more seconds. Yianelle laughed hollowly and began in a distant voice, dropping her stare to some empty, personal distance, her waist-length red-gold tresses obscuring most of her face, “It’s all an illusion, y’know…”

“What is?” Anna reflexively asked.

“The idea that we have any kind of control.” Yianelle looked up then, her eyes wide and fixed, looking directly into Anna’s eyes. “The illusion can be stripped away in less time than it takes to look at your watch…” Yianelle sighed, the expression in her eyes of one who was lost, adrift in a sea of terror, as she continued, “It can be stripped away in the time it takes to die.”

Yianelle began softly crying. Anna sat on the ground beside her. The cat reached out a paw to his mistress’s arm, mewing softly. Anna let him climb into her lap. Yianelle wrapped her arms around the cat and sobbed huge, wracking sobs. Anna sat there patiently, holding a cloth over her scratches, and listening to the huge ragged sobs… the beginning of healing.

Continues the adventure here in part 1 of chapter 2.

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