Lyssa's Flight_A Hard Science Fiction AI Adventure by M. D. Cooper & James S. Aaron

Author:M. D. Cooper & James S. Aaron [Cooper, M. D. & Aaron, James S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Wooden Pen Press
Published: 2018-01-10T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

STELLAR DATE: 10.01.2981 (Adjusted Years)

LOCATION: Chorin Tree, Callisto Orbital Habitat (Cho)

REGION: Callisto, Jupiter, Jovian Combine, OuterSol

As the lights went out in the courtyard outside the window, Brit moved restlessly around the hotel room turning on different lamps to keep the room lit but not too bright. Tim continued to stare straight ahead and she didn’t want the overhead lights to hurt his eyes.

For a long time, she sat in a chair next to his bed watching the even rise and fall of his chest, trying to remember the little boy from the night she had decided to leave on High Terra. He had changed so much that it was hard to believe this was the same Tim. Of course, his arms and legs were longer, his chest a little bit bigger with the hint of Andy’s future strength in his shoulders. But his face also seemed very different than she remembered. He was on the verge of losing the baby roundness that had always been so sweet.

The thought that continued to spiral in her mind was that she had not intended to come back. Here she was, back with the kids and Andy, and this wasn’t where she had meant to be. Now that she was here, would she stay? Could she?

Brit had never believed in anything like fate, but she had to wonder how many factors had aligned to bring the kids back into her life. If she couldn’t look at Cara and see what a strong and intelligent young woman she was on the cusp of becoming, and marvel at Tim’s courage in the airlock, what right did she have to call herself their mother? She knew that if she left again, there would be no coming back. This was her chance at redemption if there would ever be one, because after this they would never remember her with kindness, no matter what Andy might say.

With the lights adjusted, Brit sat on the edge of the bed next to Tim, then finally lay down next to him. She turned on her side, so she could rest her lips and nose in his hair and put her hand on his chest to feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing.

“I’m sorry, Tim,” she said quietly, then louder, “I’m sorry.”

Without meaning to, she squeezed him against her body in a desperate hug, sobs pouring out of her. She didn’t know what to do, how to fix the problem. She had always thought that if something happened to her that left her in a coma, she would want to end her life. Now she didn’t know what to think. She couldn’t imagine such a thing for Tim but also couldn’t imagine a life where he never responded again. If they put him in one of the tanks the doctor had mentioned, would he age? Would he at least dream?

Eventually, she slept. She dreamed about Fortress 8221, where she and Andy had first seen the children used for medical experiments,

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.