Page 63

Seeker

The inside of Ravik’s house is cluttered with things I suspect didn’t originally belong to them, including some technology so old that it seems as if it belongs in a museum.

I recognize a transistor radio from an old entertainment I skimmed to get a sense of how life has evolved for humans. They have developed technology to the point that I can imagine them finding their way to the stars if they don’t destroy themselves first. I click the radio, but it doesn’t work.

I’d like to tinker with it, but I should socialize first. I turn off my tech camo since Ravik and Jaz are already displaying their true colors, and I’m about to head outside when a ping sounds from within my pack. I still. I must be imagining things. Then it happens again.

I open my bag and inspect the emergency beacon.

It’s active, displaying numerical data. The sequence repeats on loop, and I understand the format.

A date three days hence, along with a time, 3:00 p.m. local.

And finally, coordinates—latitude and longitude that pinpoint a location I know all too well.

It’s the mountaintop where I was supposed to be collected over a year ago.

Shock sends me reeling; I stumble and support myself on the wall, stunned by the implications. I don’t know how to feel in this moment. I should be overjoyed, but sadness presses in, fighting with confusion. I can barely breathe for the weight of all these conflicting impressions.

After all this time, the agency is finally coming to whisk me away. Apparently, they have resolved whatever difficulty left me stranded here in the first place.

Jen pops inside, smiling over something that has Poppy laughing outside. “I came to look for marshmallows. They want to do campfire stories before we have dinner later.”

“That sounds enjoyable. Humans seem quite captivated by fire.”

I should tell her. But I can’t bring myself to mention the beacon when she looks so happy. And I don’t what I’m thinking or what to feel. Should I return to my place in the universe? Make peace with Oona and see my family again.

“Definitely. I think it takes us back to our cave-dwelling days.” She pauses. “But Ravik suggested it. Maybe they’ve taken on some human traits?”

“They have been here the longest.”

“It’s an interesting idea. Gives some weight to nurture over nature.”

I don’t know what she’s referring to, but she breezes past me into the kitchen and I hear her opening cupboards.

Silently, I slip the beacon back into the bag and head outside.

It is a little chilly, but there is already a crackling fire.

Before my arrival on 97-B, I had never been close to open flames before.

I’m finally being recalled to my former life, yet I feel so much dread.

How do I leave Jen? And the rest of our friends?

But if I stay, it will mean never seeing or communicating with my family again.

They won’t know what became of me, and they might imagine I have perished on some remote world, eternally chasing the next experience.

I stare at the fire. It feels like any choice I make will be wrong. Here, I’ll always be in danger. And there are people hunting for us now, the real aliens from Space Con.

“You’re quiet.” Jaz speaks in the subharmonic, audible only to me and Ravik. But they are on the other side of the yard, herding the chickens toward the shed.

Poppy sits across the way, talking to Tad. I can’t hear what they’re saying and probably couldn’t focus on it even if I could. “I have a lot on my mind.”

“Anything you want to share?” she asks.

“Not now. There are many factors to consider.”

“I’m here if you change your mind.” Jaz moves off to join Poppy and Tad as Ravik heads back to the fire.

Soon, Jen emerges from the house holding a small item aloft. She mentioned marshmallows. I do not know what those are, but probably something I can’t or shouldn’t consume. Tad grabs the bag and impales a white, soft object on a stick, immediately plunging the whole thing into the flames.

“How do you like yours?” he asks Poppy.

“Golden brown.”

“I always burn mine,” Jen says. “Then I scrape off the char and eat the gooey center.”

The humans gather around the crackling fire, toasting marshmallows and catching up on things we’ve missed, details of daily life that didn’t get mentioned in our group chat. I’m still pondering the beacon—and what it portends—so I don’t heed their conversation.

Ravik speaks in the subharmonic. “My sensors logged an extremely strong, brief signal. Anything you wish to share?”

Given that they’ve been building this place for years, they probably have all sorts of equipment concealed on the property.

I should have realized I would not be able to keep this a secret, at least not from Ravik.

They knew that I wasn’t from 97-B long before I identified their interstellar origins.

“I was planning to discuss it tomorrow.”

“I’m asking now,” Ravik says in a tone that makes it clear they have suspicions already.

There’s no point in drawing this out. “The agency contacted me with rendezvous coordinates for immediate extraction.”

“How soon?” they demand.

“Three days. Not far from here.”

Far is relative, considering how many days we drove to meet up with everyone. I gauge that we’re about two hours away by vehicle, though if I intend to proceed on my own, I’ll need to leave in the morning or I likely won’t make it on time.

This is what I wanted. I was even thinking about trying to raid a wealthy entrepreneur’s launch site, until Jen made it clear that was reckless and untenable. And then the unmanned shuttle exploded, proving how far that was from a reasonable strategy to return home.

But now…now I can leave. And every moment here has suddenly become precious, irreplaceable.

“We’ll talk more later,” Ravik says. “Let’s join the others.”

I perch beside Jen on a chair hewn from fallen logs and she reaches for me with her free hand.

The other waves the gooey marshmallow stick about, sweeping gestures that punctuate the story she’s telling.

It’s a ghost story, I think, which is a tale about how the energy emanations from expired humans linger past that moment of demise and pursue unattainable ends.

Poppy seems unnerved, huddling closer to the fire, but for me, it only seems sad that ghosts are unable to finish what they started.

Right now, we have something in common.

“I’m officially starving,” Tad says eventually.

“Do we have food waiting?” Poppy asks.

Ravik indicates the house with a concise gesture. “It’s ready. I prepared a dish especially for each guest. I researched to ensure enjoyment and health.”

“Tell us about the menu,” Jaz invites, once we reach the kitchen.

The kitchen is spacious, but the wooden beams overhead are rough-cut, showing knots and nicks that seem to have occurred long ago, probably before Ravik took up residence.

Open shelves hold crockery, plates, cookbooks, and jars full of colored powders.

From living with Jen, I can extrapolate that those are most likely spices.

A large table in the corner is surrounded by mismatched chairs, exactly enough for the six of us.

Ravik says, “For you, Jaz, I have prepared dandelion greens. No seasonings. For Poppy, Tad, and Jen, a pasta bake and salad. For myself, I roasted a butternut squash. For Seeker, I have made a tofu and kale stir-fry.”

“Wow,” Poppy says. “You must have been cooking all day. Can I help you set the table?”

Ravik indicates the far wall. “Please do. The equipment is on that shelf.”

I sit next to Jen, who gives me a look that feels as warm as her form against mine. I bask in that gaze. It may need to serve as a silent sun for years to come.

“Are we doing the usual ‘I’m thankful for’ rounds?” Tad asks.

Poppy nods. “I’ll start. I’m grateful for the support you gave me when my job was just about more than I could handle.”

People serve themselves food as we talk, and Tad takes a sip from his ice water. “I’m thankful you lot gave me the courage to do something with my alien sim. I have some cool stuff coming down the pike.”

Jaz says, “I’m so happy for you.”

“I’m grateful that I met all of you,” Jen adds.

She glances at me, and I surmise that I’m meant to join in now. “I am grateful to you all for making me feel at home for the first time in longer than I can recall.”

“Wow, going deep there!” Tad says with a huge smile. “Ravik? Jaz?”

Ravik says simply, “I am thankful that you all traveled so far to share this time with me. I have never had guests before.”

Poppy blinks. “Never? Damn.”

Jaz traces the rim of her water glass and creates a lilting note of haunting beauty. “I’m grateful to have found both friends and freedom here.”