Alpha 1472 (29 page)

He had sat and talked all day with Alan and Amanda and he really did appreciate their company. But now he was feeling claustrophobic and needed to get some fresh air.
He wanted to be out in the cool evening, but how? They were watching him like a hawk and the press that were encamped on his front lawn would be on him like vultures if he dared to venture outside. He wandered around the house looking for an escape. He noticed through one of the windows a light shining from his neighbour’s house. Suddenly he had an idea. He went into the lounge and picked up one of the cordless telephones and went into the conservatory. He quickly checked to see if he had been seen and if anyone was watching him now. When he was satisfied that he had not been discovered he called to his neighbour. He spoke in a whisper. “Peter” he said. Peter was having difficulty hearing him and asked who was calling. “Peter, its David Emmanuel.” The instant he had realised who was calling he became genuinely apologetic. “Oh David I am so sorry to hear about your problems,” David listened to him for a while and then fearing he would be discovered he asked him for a favour. What he wanted was to borrow his car for a while so that he could escape the attention and have a little time to himself. Without hesitation he agreed to help his friend and asked how he was going to get it to him. David said that he should leave that to him and that he was to wait by his car with the keys, he would be there soon. He put the phone down and took it back to the lounge. To cover his escape, he went back into the kitchen and sat for a while with his friends. He told them that he was feeling a little weary and thought that he may go to bed soon. He said that they were welcome to stay and use their usual room but felt that he needed a little rest. They agreed that he could do with some sleep but thought that it was a little early for them to retire and if it was alright with him they would watch the television for a while. He said that that would be OK, bade them goodnight and went upstairs. He could hear the TV from his room, he waited a while and when he was sure that they were settled he began to creep back down the stairs. As he reached the bottom he could see both of their backs as they sat watching the news reports of 1472. He silently crept past them, into the kitchen and quietly opened the door that led to the utility room. Bracing the door against his hand he held down the handle and closed the door. He held it shut for a second and then slowly released the handle without a sound. He sidled up to the window and carefully peered outside to see if there were any reporters around. At least security had done its job. There were none. He opened a cupboard and took out a small rucksack that he had prepared and left using the door, trying desperately not to make a noise. He was outside but not in the clear. The back of the house was lush with large shrubs and bushes which provided excellent cover for him to reach the fence that ran along the back of the property. He took one last look around, reached his hands onto the top of the fence, hauled himself over and disappeared into the night bound for his neighbour’s house. When he arrived Peter was standing by his car he handed David the keys. David thanked him profusely and climbed into the driver’s seat. He wound the window down and as he drove away he said that he would not forget this and thanked him once again. Cautiously he drove out of the drive and from his position he could see the hoards of reporters waiting to snatch an interview with him…but not this night. He turned the car in the opposite direction and drove away.

They had slept soundly for almost a whole rotation when they began to wake up. It was strange waking up naturally and not all at the same time. One by one they would wander into the cockpit area of the ship and greet everyone. The last to arrive was JD he looked dishevelled and completely drained but he insisted that he felt better for the sleep. This was the first day of the rest of their lives and they had to have a plan to move forward with. For now it had been agreed that they would use the ship as a base from which to start. But they realised that eventually they would have to leave the ship and truly begin to integrate into this society. The computers would play an integral part in their assimilation. The language libraries were almost fully complete and until they could speak the language unaided they would rely upon this quite extensively. The discussion continued and would continue for quite some time while they decided the best way to move forwards. They were, of course, all peers now and to speed the process for everyone to accept that the chain of command had now disappeared, the former captain had relinquished all upper level computer commands. Everyone now had the same access to all parts of the ship and to all levels of the computer command sequences. They were all free to come and go as they pleased free from command orders. The one thing that they all agreed upon wholeheartedly was that under no circumstances should any technology from their society be allowed to be discovered by anyone on this planet. If anything should be discovered it could jeopardise their position here. The general consensus was that if any tech was to be taken ashore it should be with the consent of at least three of their number. They knew that to formulate a working model for their integration and survival would take several meetings over the next few days. And so, they decided that at this time every day they would meet to discuss further advancements to their plan, and also report on their days activities. This first meeting was quite short. They needed time to interact with each other and become used to their new status on the ship. They also needed time to reflect on their position in this strange, new society. And most of all they needed to find their own space. They had all decided that it would be necessary for them to crate their own sleeping space and to facilitate this some alterations would have to be made. This job fell to Marius, Travis and Jason who remained in the cockpit to discuss possibilities. Anne had decided to try to get some more rest and had decided to read in her bunk. JD and Matthew began to explore their options for food when their rations had been exhausted. Mary was at a loose end. She asked everyone if they minded if she went ashore for a while, and far from objecting they all said that they could all do what they wanted now. Anne asked if Mary would like some company but she declined saying that if it was OK with her she would like some time to be alone. Everyone said that if she needed them she only had to say and they would be there as soon as they could.

It felt strange leaving the ship by her own decision. But at the same time it also felt quite empowering. The computers had been fully voice automated and she gave her order, “Computer, release pod 1.” As she spoke her pod was sealed and the compartment was flooded for her departure. When she saw the green light indicating that this part of the process was complete she spoke to the computer again. “Computer, open bay 1” The computer complied and she drifted out into the open ocean.

David had been driving for an hour and the further away from his house he drove the calmer he became.
He had no idea where he was going, he just drove. Before long he found himself on the outskirts of the neighbouring town. It was late evening and the town seemed quiet. He decided that this would be a good place to stop for a while. He pulled into the car park of a local bar, got out of the car, closed the door and locked it. The bar was small and empty save the barman who was polishing glasses. He walked up to the bar and sat on one of the stools and ordered a triple with ice. He remarked to the barman that it was quiet tonight to which he replied. “Company policy.” David was confused and asked what he meant. “The bosses in their infinite wisdom have a policy here of no TV screens. It’s a place to come for a quiet drink and seeing as everyone want to see about the space shit…” David was quite glad about company policy and sat drinking his drink. When he had finished he called the barman over and asked for the same again. He poured his drink and set it down in front of him. “So how come you ain’t watching the news.”  He asked. David looked at him and said that he had had enough of it for one day. The barman nodded and said that he was glad of the company on such a quiet evening. The phone in the bar rang and the barman answered it. From the conversation David guessed that it must have been his boss.

“Quiet,
only one guy, OK, thanks, Goodnight”

David caught his attention and said that he gathered that he was getting an early night. He lifted his glass and downed the last of his drink. When he paid for what he had drunk he left the barman with a very large tip. He looked at what he had left and protested that there was no need to leave such a large amount. David looked at him and smiled.

“Listen, I have, for the first time in the last forty eight hours, been able to relax for a while, and you have just done your job and left me alone. You see my wife is one of the people left on that planet and I needed this time to think. So thank you, treat yourself to something nice and enjoy the rest of your night off. See you around.” With this he left the bar, got back into the car and continued his aimless journey.

Mary had arrived at the beach and had moored her pod. She didn’t know why she had come here but she was grateful for the fresh air. The recycled air of the ship was fine but it was no substitute for the real thing. She was dressed in local costume. It had been decided that this should be the way they dressed from now on. The water felt good on her feet. It was chilly but not unbearably so. She could feel the soft sand give way under her toes as she walked along. The proximity device on her wrist told her that she was alone, and normally she would have felt exposed and vulnerable. Tonight, she felt peaceful and safe. She could not explain to herself why she should feel this way. The night air was warm and comfortable and as she walked along the sea front she could hear the waves lapping into the sand. Up ahead she could see the outcrop which hid the cave they had used to store their equipment and she had decided that this was her destination. She could hear and was aware of everyone’s conversations on board the ship. She heard Jason ask if everything was alright with her and remind her that if she needed them to call. She thanked him and then instructed the computer to mute all communications coming from the ship. They could still hear her but now she could hear nothing except the natural rhythm of the sea and the occasional breeze as it brushed against her ear. Before she knew it she had arrived at the outcrop where she stopped and just stood in the shallows. The night sky was spectacular. The deepest shade of blue she had ever seen. The thousands of stars twinkled against the velvet backdrop and she knew that somewhere out there was her David. There was a smooth surface at the front of the rock face that was inclined at an angle. She sat on the edge and lowered herself back until she was lying down gazing up at the sky. 

David had driven as far as he wanted to for now and found himself in the car park of a lake. He got out of the car, grabbed his rucksack, locked the car and began to walk to the lakeside. There was a chill to the air but the night was clear and the moonlight created by the network was strong enough to light his way. As he approached he came across a grassy hilled area. Without thinking he stepped onto the grass and sat down. All was quiet. He could hear nothing at all. He opened his back pack and removed an unopened bottle of whiskey. Holding it between his legs he looked at it for a while, then, he opened it, discarded the top and took a long hard swig from the bottle. He lay back on the grass and gazed at the sky.  He knew that out there somewhere was his wife. The more he thought about her, the more he drank. After a while he reached into his bag once more and pulled out a revolver. He lay back on the grass, bottle in one hand, the gun resting on his chest.

Mary lay on the rock looking at the sky trying to imagine what David was going through. She hoped that he would be able to cope.

The tears began to run down their faces and as they lay there in the still night air they both realised how much it hurts to love someone with every fibre of your body. The intense, emotional pain of longing. They lay there for what seemed an eternity. Mary caressed her unborn baby and David held his gun more securely. These were the most unbearable emotions they had felt since the accident and neither of them knew how to cope without each other. It felt like the end. They looked at the sky and imagined that they were together and at the same time they both said “I love you…goodbye” and with this they finally realised that they were both truly alone. For them, it felt like the end.