Eclipse (Fractured Orbit Book 1) by Herman Steuernagel

Author:Herman Steuernagel [Steuernagel, Herman]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Fourth Media Publishing
Published: 2023-02-06T16:00:00+00:00

Django

Eclipse

It wasn’t until the door’s buzzer rang loudly that Django realized he had fallen asleep on the couch. His thoughts had kept him up well past curfew; well past when he would normally have fallen asleep.

8:00 a.m.—much later than he would ever normally sleep. It was fortunate he had the day off, though, he had to admit, he didn’t know what he would do with himself without the distraction of work.

If it hadn’t been for Nova, he might have gone to the fields anyway. Today, they would be transplanting bulbs, and though it was a tedious task, it would have provided him with a space to clear his head. There was a certain simplicity in moving the bulbs from their transport trays into the artificial soil that took up so much of the D-Ring’s real estate.

The buzzer rang again.

“Hang on a moment!” Django called.

He shoved the blanket to the corner of the couch and set his bare feet down on the cold paneled floor, allowing the coolness to bring him to his senses. More than one vertebra cracked as he rotated his neck, then he reached up and allowed the same release further down his spine. He must have been more tired than he’d realized to have fallen asleep so soundly—the couch made for a lousy mattress.

Nova also stirred, now sitting on the edge of her bed, rubbing her eyes as the artificial lights hummed to life around her.

Django gave his temples one last rub before standing and crossing the room.

He fumbled for the access panel to open the door, his motor skills still not catching up to their suddenly wakened state.

I sure could use a cup of coffee, he thought. But he didn’t have the credits to spend on such a luxury purchase.

One problem at a time.

He made a half-assed attempt to straighten his hair before he hit the last key to open the door, but it was a futile attempt. His reflection in the panel mocked him; wisps of his brown hair stuck out every which way in chaos. He gave up before finally allowing the door to their apartment to slide open.

Django groaned.

“Good morning to you, too,” Avery greeted him as the doors parted. Light from the hall crawled over her features and reflected off her uniform, the blue luminescence giving her a sickly appearance. Behind her, Officer Isaacs stood silent, the red and yellow double hexagonal pattern on his chest glowing faintly as it sat in Avery’s shadow. Though Isaacs didn’t have bags under his eyes as Avery did, they were bloodshot and sunken, as though he hadn’t gotten any sleep, either. The entire station was running sleep deprived.

Isaacs’s hands rested on his hips, his fingers itching as though ready to draw the weapon from his belt at any moment.

Avery rested a hand on the doorframe to his quarters, her fingers drumming on the wall impatiently.

“What do you want?” Django said. “I’m all out of relatives to kill.”

Avery stood still for a moment and blinked at the phrasing of his words.

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