Psion Delta (23 page)

Kawai
sighed. “I don’t think you know how hard it will be on everyone when you
leave.”

“Maybe
I don’t.”

Kawai’s
large brown eyes locked onto Sammy’s once more. “People here respect you. We
admire you. And we all want to be on your team each Saturday to win.”

Sammy
gave a reluctant nod. “Thanks.”

“You
inspire me, Sammy. You make me want to be a better soldier. Where I come from,
there’s so much corruption and many women are still treated like—like nothing
more than garbage. I got out of there as fast as I could. I didn’t care about
the Silent War or anything when we started. But Commander Byron helped me see
his vision, and then you. . . . ” Her voice broke off and she looked away as
she brushed her hair back behind her ear.

“I
what?”

“You
pushed yourself so hard. I knew all along that you were better than us, but you
didn’t brag about it. You lied about your rankings, and I respected you even
more for that. For you, it wasn’t about beating us. It was about beating them.”

Sammy
thought Kawai gave him a lot more credit than he deserved, but he didn’t say
anything. He couldn’t stop staring back at her. Her face had become illuminated
with an invisible inner light. She looked as happy as he’d ever seen her.

With
a deep breath, she continued, “I am attracted to you on so many levels. In so
many ways.” Her voice shook, but she wasn’t done. “I know you have this thing
for Jeffie, but she doesn’t measure up to you. She’s had so many chances. And I
love her. I do. I just—I had to tell you all that before you go because you
deserve to know how special I think you are. I haven’t always realized it, but
I do now. That’s why I’m sharing it with you.”

No
girl had ever told Sammy such things before. Jeffie had kissed him on the
cheek, then alluded to the idea of dating him. Strawberry, only a week ago,
though it seemed now like a year or two, had told Sammy she wanted to kiss him.
Kawai had given him something different, a feeling of being appreciated and
loved in a deeper way.

He
wanted to kiss her. He wanted to know what a kiss felt like. The thought of
placing his lips on hers and feeling so connected to someone pulled at him like
being a stretched out rubber band waiting to be released. Her lips were full
and pink, slightly parted, surrounded by her soft, dark brown skin. If he
looked closely he could see every fold and wrinkle in them. She watched him
watching her. He wondered. . . .

Jeffie.
You like Jeffie.

I
can like Kawai, too. Or Strawberry. Jeffie is with Kobe. Kawai is right here in
front of you. And she said she likes me.

But
she isn’t Jeffie. You’ve never even been attracted to her before now.

But
she is definitely attractive. And Jeffie has never said things like that to me!

She
doesn’t know how. They aren’t the same person. You don’t like Kawai.

Maybe
I do!

You
don’t! If you did, you’d have thought about kissing her before right now!

SHUT
UP! I want to be held and kissed like Jeffie and Brickert and Natalia and
everyone else. I want to know what it’s like!

Sammy
looked at Kawai again. A calm expression stayed on her face. Waiting. Waiting,
perhaps, for the battle inside Sammy’s mind to resolve itself. When he didn’t
act, she moved, breaking the spell and ending the turmoil.

“You
really like her. I know. But I’m still glad I told you what I did.” Kawai spoke
as she gathered the remnants of her lunch. Sammy wondered if he’d hurt her.
“She still likes you, too. Jeffie’s, well, you already know how she is.” Kawai
stood up, towering over him. Before leaving, she bent down and placed her lips
on Sammy’s forehead. “Good luck on your mission.”

I
knew they’d be warm and soft!

The
rest of the day went by smoothly. Sammy and Kawai had no awkwardness between
them. It was as though the almost-kiss had never happened. Wednesday morning,
Sammy sent the major a message saying that he’d like to stay at Beta the extra
month. That night, as Sammy was going to bed, he got a text from Jeffie.

Sammy,

I
want to say goodbye to you in the morning. Natalia told me what time you have
to leave. I’ll meet you in the hallway five minutes before then.

Gefjon

Sammy
sighed as he set his com on its charger.
Should I feel hopeful or not?
The question stayed with him until he fell asleep.

The
alarm on his com woke him at 0500, an hour before everyone else would rise.
He’d been told to meet his squadron leader at 0530 on the roof. (“Punctuality
is part of your grade,” one of the commanders had mentioned.) Brickert snored
softly in his bed and turned away when Sammy climbed down from his bunk.
Quietly, Sammy dressed in one of his blue Beta jumpsuits and paused in the
doorway.

“See
ya, Brick,” he said.

“See
you in a few days, bro,” his friend mumbled as he raised his face a few
centimeters off his pillow. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Haha.
I’ll try not to.” He stopped in the restroom to gather his toiletries from his
cubby, then continued upstairs. When he reached the second floor landing
outside the girls’ dormitory, his com showed 0515. He sat and waited for Jeffie
to come out and say goodbye.

His
stomach growled and he wondered if he would get breakfast at Alpha
headquarters. Then he glanced once more at the clock.

0518

I
wonder if she’ll kiss me on the cheek again
. He remembered fondly
the time he’d left for Rio, almost eight months ago now. His brain had gone
fuzzy as he closed his eyes and felt Jeffie’s lips press on his cheek.
Was
that really only eight months ago?
Time had warped somewhere in the last
eight months, because it seemed more like eight years since he’d last stood
there with her.
Maybe it wouldn’t be such a good idea. What’s the point?

0522

He
drummed his fingers on his knees, starting slow but getting faster each moment
until he was conscious of what he was doing. Then he stood up. He sat down. He
stood again and kicked the wall lightly.

0524

Are
you kidding me?
Sammy watched his clock until it turned 0525.
His heart rate picked up and he began to count the seconds to see exactly how
late Jeffie would be so he could tease her about it.

0526

Worry
set in. He tried to calculate how long it would take him to reach the rooftop
if he ran the steps. He guessed he’d need exactly one minute if he sprinted.

0527

Come
on, Jeffie! Where are you?
Was she playing a trick on him? Was she
trying to get back at him for eating lunch with Kawai? He didn’t understand.

0528

Reality
had completely reversed itself. How could a single minute of time seem
agonizingly long, and then rush by at such an astonishing speed?

0529

With
one last glance at the dormitory door, Sammy pounded up the stairs. As he
opened the door to the third floor, he heard the door to the dormitory open.

“Sammy?”
Jeffie’s voice rang out.

He
swore at her under his breath and continued toward the roof. Up to the fourth
floor, up to the fifth, then to the sixth where he emerged on the roof right
before his clock struck 0531.

“Sammy?”

A
woman he’d never seen before stood next to a cruiser, leaning on it casually.
He clutched his travel bag tightly and walked to her. She outstretched her hand
and shook his with a strong grip.

“Anna
Lukic. Honcho of Charlie Squadron. Nice to finally meet.”

“Hi—er—I’m—right,
you know me already.”

“Nice.
Ready to go? It’s a short flight.”

Sammy
threw his bag into the cargo space and closed the back door of the ship.
Painted on the side of the cruiser was a man with bushy, black eyebrows and a
small black mustache and a long nose. He wore a black bowler hat to match his
dapper suit. In one hand he held a large ticket made of gold, and the other
hand was balled into a fist. On dirty tape wrapped around his knuckles, the
word
FATE
had been written in black letters.

“What
does the picture mean?” Sammy asked as he climbed into the co-pilot’s chair.

Anna
looked at him as if he was crazy. “Think about it.”

Sammy
didn’t particularly care to at the moment. “I have no idea.”

His
squadron leader pouted at him disappointedly. “Famous Charlies. Controlling our
own fate, having a bit of good luck, and maintaining a healthy sense of humor .
. . it’s what we stand for.”

“I
was hoping you could give me some more information about the mission. Major
Tawhiri wasn’t very clear about—”

Anna
patted him on the shoulder. “Hold onto your horses, cowboy! No one’s going to
leave you hanging. First things first, you need to check into a housing unit.
Then breakfast. Then you need to be introduced to the team. Then we have a
bunch of meetings. Sound like fun?”

“Um
. . . yes.”

“Liar.
Tell me a little about yourself.”

Sammy
tried to talk about himself for the duration of their short ride, but he didn’t
feel comfortable around her, and she didn’t ask many questions. They arrived at
Alpha much quicker than Sammy remembered. When he mentioned this, Anna winked
at him. “Keepin’ the pedal to the metal.”

They
landed on a runway and came to a stop by a booth. A man came out and waved.
“Morning, Lukic,” he said. “You want me to put Charlie back in Hangar C?”

“Roger
that!” she returned. “Thanks!”

Sammy
grabbed his bag and let Anna lead him to a line of several small carts standing
in a line near the edge of the runway. They drove into the campus village with
narrow cement paths connecting dozens of identical houses. Large trees shaded
much of the community and blocked the rays of the rising sun from blinding
Sammy. In the distance he saw larger buildings and more people walking or using
a cart to go about their business.

Anna
stopped the cart in front of a unit. “Number one-four-three. It’s pretty close
to everything so you won’t get lost.”

Sammy
rolled his eyes and followed her up to the door.

“Eye-scan
here, please.” She pointed. Once they heard a click, she pulled on the door.
“In we go. Set the bag down and come with me. Breakfast is next.”

They
sat in a larger, nicer version of the Beta cafeteria. Anna explained that this
was one of two cafeterias on the campus. Both had Robochefs and real chefs.
Sammy attacked breakfast with an enthusiasm that surprised Anna. “Age fifteen,
right?” she asked him.

He
nodded, his mouth occupied. He noticed a few other people in the room shooting
him curious looks.

“I’d’ve
guessed you’re older, cowboy.” She eyed him with mock skepticism. “Looking at
you . . . seventeen or even eighteen. You got muscles. Plus, there’s something
in your eyes.”

He
wasn’t sure what that meant, so he let it pass. He thought about asking her how
old she was, but a voice in his head that sounded like Jeffie’s backed him off
the idea. Anna did not eat, she talked. This slowed down Sammy’s meal
considerably. Before he finished, Al and Marie joined them at their table.
Marie gave him a hug, and Al followed it with a strong clap on the shoulder.
Once she could see that Sammy was in good hands, Anna excused herself to
prepare for the squad meeting.

“Guess
what?” Al asked.

“You’re
married!” Sammy said, feigning surprise.

“Well,
sure, but I met my grandparents. Marie, too. My dad flew us out there.”

Sammy
listened while Marie and Al talked about their trip to Glasgow—a place he had
never heard of before that moment. Marie’s excitement about the trip was equal
to—if not greater than—her husband’s. It both thrilled and relieved Sammy to
hear that the Byrons were safe and the resistance still thrived under their
leadership.

“Why
aren’t you two in the same squadron?” Sammy asked after they’d finished talking
about their excursion.

“Conflict
of interests,” Al explained.

“Al
would put me in front of the mission if it came to it,” Marie said, winking at
her husband.

Al
grinned. “Can you blame me, Sammy? But, hey, at least you get to hang out with
me from now on, right?”

“I
can’t say I didn’t want you on my team, Sammy,” Marie said. “Because, you
know—”

“Sammy
always wins!” Al finished for her.

They
continued talking until Al and Sammy had to go. Al pecked his wife on the lips
and told her he’d try to concentrate on the meeting and not on her. Marie
blushed as they parted. Sammy followed Al to their next destination. The bustle
around Alpha headquarters had grown in the last hour. Gray jumpsuits were
everywhere, all like the one Sammy had worn on Al’s mission to Rio. As they
traversed the campus, Al pointed out different buildings.