Tuesday's Gold by Jason Lethcoe

Author:Jason Lethcoe [Lethcoe, Jason]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wizardtree Publishing
Published: 2018-05-04T04:00:00+00:00

16 AFTERMATH

Jake sat at the controls, methodically checking the various blinking buttons and knobs on the Dark Star's console.

"It'll take us three days to get there," he said. "The coordinates lead to someplace on the other side of the Galaxy."

"That figures," Eliza replied, but not unkindly. "At least we'll be able to get some rest. I don't feel like I've slept in a week."

Jake nodded and stretched his booted feet out in front of him. Eliza noticed that his scruffy growth of beard had grown thicker and that he seemed as exhausted as she. He scratched his cheek and looked as if he wanted to say something.

Eliza waited. She could anticipate the questions to come and steeled herself for the answers she was prepared to give. Instead of asking right away, Jake glanced at a beverage replicator on a shelf in the back of the cockpit.

"Would you like a hot cup of something? I've got tea."

"Only if you're going to make some," Eliza replied.

Jake went to the replicator and ordered two cups. Seconds later, two piping hot cups of tea appeared in the beverage tray.

Eliza accepted hers with thanks. There was an awkward silence as Jake returned to the pilot's chair. After a few minutes, Eliza broke the tension with a sigh.

"I guess I should thank you for saving me back there. Nobody's ever done that for me before."

Jake flashed her a grin. "Don't mention it. I'm just glad I got there in time."

Eliza tried to smile back, but it turned out more like a grimace. "I had no idea that we were being watched, especially by an..." She faltered.

"...Android?" Jake finished. "Yeah. Never seen one quite like that before."

Eliza frowned. "His eyes weren't silver. I thought that's how you could always tell."

Jake sipped his tea. "About two years ago a guy I met in a bar told me that some of the ex-Govenant scientists were working on some pretty sophisticated stuff. Guess they figured a way around that."

He leveled his gaze at Eliza. "It’s strange. You don't like them very much, do you."

"No. I had a bad experience with one when I was a child. Maybe you hadn't noticed the side of my face?"

"I noticed," Jake said simply. "Didn't know an android did it, though. What happened, exactly?"

Eliza hesitated. She'd never spoken about the incident with anyone. But there was something about the way Jake asked that made her feel like dropping her guard. He didn't flinch when he looked at her ruined cheek and she always noticed when people did. Maybe it was because she'd nearly just lost her life or maybe it was something else. Either way, she decided to open up and talk about it.

"When Tuesday died there were three of us who were there when it happened. We were all kids and when the big outlaw came to our little town, everyone wanted to see what was going on. We didn’t have much entertainment on Terra Six. But what we saw scarred us for life and also changed it.

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.