Ellie frowned at the job application sitting on top of the pile. She pressed the speakerphone button and punched in a four-digit extension. It rang a few times before a man answered. “Yes, Boss?”
“Joe, what’s with the first application? Your job is to weed out all the garbage and only send me viable applicants. The first page is almost blank, containing not one single bit of education or job experience. Is this a practical joke?”
Deep laughter rumbled from the other end of the line. “I’m well aware of the job you stuck me with, Ellie. However, I thought you would appreciate the oddness of that one. Did you see what the person did? Look at pages two and three.”
The wrinkles between Ellie’s brows deepened as she flipped to the second page. A long paragraph was written in precise handwriting that continued onto the third page. It was so small and neat that, at first, she thought it had been made by a printer. What gave away the fact that it was indeed handwriting was the single fingerprint smudge at the bottom of the last page indicating it had been written in blue ink. “What in the world…” She finished reading with wide eyes.
Joe’s voice came back over the line. “See what I mean? This Kaelen Ra-Evon, citizen of Canada, refugee from Argon, and resident of Twenty-four East Lane Street, Los Angeles, California, in the United States of America, solved a previously unsolved theory on the last two pages of her job application.”
“The Collatz Conjecture.”
“Exactly.”
Ellie sighed and rubbed her temples. Normally they wouldn’t entertain the idea of bringing someone into the Special Projects Lab without proper references, a correct level of educational training, and most definitely a previous job history. From the looks of the application, this Kaelen Ra-Evon simply walked out of the ether. “My guess is that they are a recent refugee to Earth.”
“I thought the same. And I know what the rules are, but can you imagine the level of intellect that put down that solution? Where are they from, how much more do they know? It’s my job to make sure you have the most talented staff down there in SPL, and my gut is telling me this Kaelen could be Patel’s replacement now that he’s heading up the main lab in New York.”
Ellie dropped the application back onto her desk. “I’ll need to run this one by Leah. Tell you what, check both our calendars for an opening and schedule the interview. We may as well see for ourselves what makes Kaelen Ra-Evon tick.”
“Will do, Boss.” The line went dead. Joe never bothered with any other farewell.
Ellie punched the top number on her speed dial. She smiled at the voice on the other end.
“To what do I owe the pleasure? Are you getting bored down there in SPL?” They’d begun shortening the name of the Special Projects Lab years before and it stuck.
“It’s never boring, you know that.”
“Have you filled that opening yet? I’m hoping to see results on the nano project by the end of second quarter next year.”
“Actually, that position is exactly what I want to speak with you about. Got a minute for an in-person chat?”
“For you, always. I’ll tell Jenna you’re on your way up so she can buzz you in. My next meeting doesn’t start until three.”
“Give me five.” Ellie hung up and snatched the application from her desk before making her way out of the office and to the elevator.
* * * *
Ten minutes later, Leah sat in her hoverchair. It was the fifth design generation, and significantly more comfortable than the original Charlie conceived of years before. The seat had been upgraded, and legs enclosed, both surrounded by a smart gel that improved blood circulation and oxygenation of tissue. Those improvements decreased how often she had to do pressure relief exercises. Ellie sat nearby on the guest couch. Dark red lips parted in surprise as the younger woman read the neatly printed pages and solution to the Collatz Conjecture.
“This is incredible!”
“There is no educational experience.”
Leah pointed at the blue ink. “Did you see this handwriting?”
“Kaelen Ra-Evon also has no past job experience.”
Leah snapped out of her gobsmacked daze and met her adoptive mother’s eyes. “They solved the Collatz Conjecture within the space of two eight and a half by eleven pages. I want that brain in my company.”
Ellie nodded, assuming as much. “I thought so. I already asked Joe to find an opening that would work for both our schedules to set up an interview. I guess we’ll see what this Kaelen Ra-Evon is all about then. I mean, we got lucky with Clevna Trog—”
“You know he prefers Einstein.”
“Sorry, but at least he had job experience and references, even if they were mostly off world.”
“I agree, he was a boon for Lockheed. Perhaps you should arrange to have him sit in on the interview as well. It may be good to hear another alien’s perspective.”
Ellie smiled. “Excellent idea.” She pulled out her cell and sent a text to the head of talent acquisitions and got a thumbs up emoji in return. “Joe’s on it.” She looked at the time on her phone and turned back to Leah. “I don’t suppose you’d like to join an old lady for lunch?”
Leah rolled her eyes. “Old she says! Let’s head down to the cafeteria, I’m in the mood for today’s special.”
“Sounds good, honey.”
* * * *
Three days later, Leah, Ellie, and Einstein were in Leah’s office, waiting for one Kaelen Ra-Evon. Ellie and Einstein used the time to inform Leah of the latest findings on the nanotech project. Jenna’s voice over the intercom interrupted their conversation. “Ms. Lockheed, Joe said that Kaelen Ra-Evon is ready for you in conference room six.”
They made their way down the long hallway of the executive level. Conference room six was the smallest room but still had enough space for the four of them. Leah was first to go through the door but stopped as soon as she met Kaelen Ra-Evon’s pale, blue-eyed gaze. It was like being struck by lightning, without all the pain. The moment felt heavy, important somehow, and she struggled to make her brain work.
Objectively, it appeared as though Kaelen suffered in the same way as her mouth dropped open. Suddenly she cocked her head as if she were listening to someone. She abruptly stood and approached Leah with her hand outstretched. “Hello. I am Kaelen Ra-Evon, citizen of Canada, refugee from Argon, and resident of Twenty-four East Lane Street, Los Angeles of California, United States of America. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to interview for this work assignment.”
Leah shook her hand gamely and snapped out of her daze when she heard a throat clear behind her. She gestured for Kaelen to return to her seat, then quickly moved to the opposite side of the table where one of the office chairs had been moved away. Ellie entered next, followed by Einstein. Kaelen stood again and leaned across the table so she could carefully shake both their hands.
Ellie smiled. “Please, you don’t have to be so formal with us. We like to have a normal conversation in these types of interviews because you’ll be working closely with the people in this room if you’re chosen for the job. Be yourself.”
Kaelen nodded, but her brows furrowed indicating confusion about Ellie’s reassuring words.
Einstein gave Kaelen a calculating look. “You are Argonian?”
“Yes. May I appear in my natural clothing?”
“Go ahead.”
Kaelen smiled with excitement and caressed her collar. Leah was surprised to see what looked like normal Earth clothing shift into that of a sleek black jumpsuit with a glowing symbol on the front that looked like a backwards Z. Kaelen asked Einstein, “You’re familiar with Argon?”
He nodded. “I visited a planet near yours long ago. I was an intellectual youth at the time.”
“Are you an alien refugee too?”
Einstein pressed a button on his belt and a metallic man with a gleaming chrome head sat in the chair, instead of one that looked like a typical Earthling. “I am an organic android from Donboth but wear a hologram inducer to make people more comfortable around me.”
“Oh. The Thinker Guild had a lot of respect for Donbothian’s, though I don’t believe they were allowed near our planet.”
He frowned. “For good reason. My people are known collectors of organics. You are a long way from home, Kaelen Ra-Evon.”
She looked down to where her hands gripped each other on the top of the table. “Argon is no more so Earth is my home now.”
“Gone?”
“Destroyed, yes.”
It was rare for Einstein to display any emotion unless he was with his girlfriend. His face could move similar to a human because of his organic metal skin but he preferred a more stoic resting face the majority of the time. Despite that, Einstein frowned and hummed at the level of tragedy involved with losing an entire planet. “Are there any others?” Leah assumed he meant others that escaped.
“My ship—uh, I mean to say that it was rather sudden and I have reason to believe I may be the only survivor from the core meltdown. Regardless, I’ve mentally prepared myself for the challenge of living on Earth alone. Kymeth sal ne Ra.”
Leah leaned forward. “I don’t understand.” Those piercing blue eyes met her own and Leah felt short of breath.
“The creed of my House. With intellect we overcome.”
It was apparent that Einstein had a lot of knowledge of Kaelen’s people, so Leah let him continue to probe for her background with questions that they wouldn’t know to ask or understand. He pointed at the glowing symbol on her chest. “That is the meaning behind your family crest, correct?”
Kaelen’s eyes widened with something that looked like excitement. “You are familiar with Dolem-Ra?”
Leah interrupted. “What is that, doh-lem rah?”
“That is my family.” Kaelen paused and tilted her head, as if she were searching for the right words.
Einstein answered for her. “Ra is her house name. The phrase ‘dolem Ra’ roughly translates to ‘house of Ra’ but there is no exact match in human culture for all that entails.” He looked back at Kaelen. “I have some knowledge of your house. They are mostly Thinkers, which I’m assuming you are as well.”
Kaelen smiled. “I was the youngest to ever be inducted into the Thinker Guild. Unfortunately, I was forced to leave my home not long after. I learned about Terra—Earth during the ten-year long sleep that spanned the course of my journey.”
Leah interrupted by raising her hand. “Hold on, there is a lot to unpack here.”
Kaelen’s brows furrowed. “On the contrary, there was nothing to unpack as I arrived with a minimal of material goods.”
“No, I mean—”
Einstein explained. “What Leah is trying to say is that you’ve given us a lot of information, data that two beings of Earth would have some trouble coming to terms with since they are unfamiliar with extended distance space travel or hypnopedia learning.” He addressed Leah and Ellie. “That is a mostly Argonian practice involving images and education sent directly to the cerebrum using a nano-aided bio-organic connection within their ships.”
Leah’s curiosity clawed its way up her spine, and she gave Einstein a hungry smile. “I trust that you’ll explain to me in depth later.” She turned back to Kaelen. “Sorry for interrupting. My thirst for knowledge exceeds my good manners most days.”
“The person that lacks a thirst for knowledge is cursed to wither from intellectual drought.”
Ellie smiled kindly at Kaelen. “That’s a wise saying. May I ask how old you are, Kaelen? And can I call you that?”
“You may refer to me by my first name. That is common here, yes?”
“It is. If I may say, as a fairly new refugee to our planet, you speak very good English. Though it is a bit formal.”
“Formal? There is more than one way to speak this English?” She paused again, her gaze going unfocused for a moment before nodding at Ellie. “I see. You are referring to slang, as well as formal and informal sentence structure. I will—” She sighed and drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I’ll try to be less formal.”
“You’re doing fine, just speak in the way that’s most comfortable. Let me make introductions. My name is Doctor Ellie Tuck but you can call me Ellie.” She paused then added, “Doctor is my title, an advanced educational degree. My Donbothian friend here is Clevna Trog, though we call him Einstein down in the lab.”
He explained. “Albert Einstein was among the most brilliant and influential human scientists of all time.”
Ellie pointed toward Leah. “And that is Doctor Leah Lockheed-Tuck, the current CEO of Lockheed International.”
“Uh, thank you, Ellie.” Kaelen looked at Leah. “Doctor Lockheed-Tuck, does being CEO make you the head of your house?” She paused and assumed that look of listening again. Apologies, I realize you don’t have houses here. At least not the way we did on Argon.”
“You can call me Leah.” She hesitated for a moment before voicing her observation. “Is someone speaking to you, Kaelen?”
“Besides you?”
Leah smirked. “Yes, besides any of us in this room. Your body language indicates you’re hearing something that we are not.”
Einstein nodded. “It does appear that way.”
Kaelen’s eyes widened with surprise. “I’m impressed that you noticed. No one has previously guessed such a thing. I have an artificially intelligent computer assistant that traveled with me from Argon. Wex is housed in my ship, but I have contact with it through my ear communicators.”
She turned her head one way, then the other, showing them the small pieces of tech in each ear. “Wex was my instructor at home, and on my journey, and has been helping me acclimate to Earth society.”
Leah’s said, “Fascinating!”
Kaelen suddenly twitched. “Oh, apologies to Ellie. You asked me how old I am. I left Argon when I was thirteen and I’m approximately twenty-four Earth years now. At least to my best calculations.”
“Are Earth years comparable to Argon’s years?” Kaelen nodded and Ellie gasped, clearly appalled. “But…but that’s your entire childhood!”
“I can assure you that my education was complete before the destruction of Argon. The ship itself provided even more training and simulated experience within a multitude of scientific disciplines.”
Ellie frowned. “Weren’t you lonely?”
Kaelen appeared to consider the question before she shrugged. “I have no answer for you. I was asleep for the journey so lacked true conscious awareness of the time.”
Interested though she was in Kaelen’s attractive mind and fascinating gadgets, Leah did her best to steer the meeting back on track. “Why do you want to work for Lockheed International, Kaelen?”
“All my research indicates that this company is currently the best when it comes to cutting edge technology. They have an open policy for alien employment, a robust philanthropic presence with half your research dedicated to green energy, and it would be the best fit for my intellect and philosophical interests. I was raised to contribute to society in a meaningful way. I want to help enrich Earth with better ways to live and advance, to prevent the same overreach of resources and subsequent disaster that befell my own planet.”
Einstein raised a single pale eyebrow. “That is a—”
“Very good answer.” Leah glanced at Ellie. She could tell her adoptive mother was impressed, the same could be said about Einstein. Despite the fact that he tried to hide behind a stoic facade, Leah had learned to read the man over the past few years. She met Kaelen’s intense gaze. “You told us why you want to work for Lockheed. Now tell us why we should hire you?”
Kaelen lifted her chin. “Because I’m the smartest being on this planet.”
Einstein countered. “I am a twelfth caliber intellect, though admittedly I’m near the limit of my base programming.”
“My father, Ra-Evon, was an eighth when I was tested. I too rated at a twelfth caliber with an expectation of growth. But more than that, I am an Argonian specifically engineered to problem solve, and descended from a long line of Thinkers.” She smiled at Einstein. “I believe we could do good work together, Clevna Trog.”
He smiled back. “I concur.”
Kaelen turned to look at Leah, eyes moving down to take in the hoverchair, and stared for perhaps a bit longer than anyone was comfortable with. Before Leah could say anything, Kaelen asked, “Why do you use that chair for locomotion, Leah Lockheed-Tuck?”
Leah frowned at the invasive question but answered anyway, understanding that Kaelen was clearly still learning Earth culture and social norms. “I was in an accident when I was thirteen. My family died and I suffered a paralyzing injury. Ellie is my adoptive mother.”
Kaelen leaned forward. “You also lost your family?” She touched her head then her chest in what looked to be a show of respect. “We are kindred in a way. Wex says I’ve probably made you uncomfortable, that it would be considered rude to ask such questions. I apologize.”
“Why did you ask?”
“The question?”
“Yes.”
Kaelen tilted her head. “If it is a nerve injury as you say, why wouldn’t you use simple nanotechnology to repair it and restore limb function? It is a wonderful piece of equipment, but still quite primitive in some respects. I would love to see the design of it—” She paused and swallowed. “Um, I mean, should you hire me for this position.”
Everyone in the room froze with the exception of Kaelen. Repairing nerve damage was one of the main goals of the SPL on Leah’s direction, and they’d only just begun working with nanotech. Ellie and Einstein knew exactly what the research meant to her.
Kaelen spoke into the silence. “Did I say something wrong?”
Her comment broke the heavy pause and Leah dared to breathe again. “On the contrary, you said something very right. You’re hired and your first project at L-I will be to work with Einstein on his current nanotech project, developing treatment that can repair nerve damage on a cellular level.” She began to move away from the table but stopped at the sight of Kaelen’s outstretched hand.
“Please, there is another reason I wanted to work for this company specifically. I know that a large corporation such as Lockheed International has resources that the average citizen would not, and would contain some of the most brilliant minds on Earth.”
“Continue.” Leah inclined her head, curious about what Kaelen was going to say.
“Wex cautioned me not to mention earlier that my ship detected an Argonian beacon when we first entered the solar system, and again after arriving in Los Angeles. I don’t know if it’s a fellow survivor of our planet’s destruction, or an explorer on long assignment. My greatest hope is that it’s a member of my house. Unfortunately, the computer system of my personal craft is insufficient to track a microsecond-long coded communication burst that only activates once every month and a half. I would like to ask for aid in my search for this other ship.”
Leah thought about the problem. While aliens were living openly on Earth and had at last gained rights to citizenship across the majority of the planet, plenty of discrimination could still be found around the world. If there was another Argonian living on Earth, they could be well-hidden. “Once you’ve gone through your orientation, we’ll all sit down together and discuss strategy to build the equipment you need to find the source of your mystery signal.”
“Kaelen Ra-Evon, is it possible that the signal is one of distress?”
She frowned. “Wex insists it’s a standard emission from another small pod craft like my own, which aren’t meant to be long range explorers. They’re usually part of a larger ship fleet.”
Leah was fascinated. “Like a sci-fi escape pod?”
Einstein shook his head. “No, those are highly impractical. What use is escaping an emergency situation only to be floating in space with no resources available? No, Argonian pod craft are fully capable of long-range travel, they’re just not ideal for the mental health of an individual unless they have a hypnopedia equipped AI onboard.”
“Which most have unless they’re assigned to the orbiting tech station—oh.” Kaelen grew pale and covered her mouth with a hand.
Ellie leaned closer. “What is it?”
Kaelen’s eyes filled with very human-like tears. “I just remembered all the families assigned to the Thinker Guild that lived there. It’s all gone now, everything.”
“I’m very sorry for your loss, dear.” Ellie shook her head. “Mere words are insignificant in the scope of everything that has happened to you but they’re all I have.”
Leah’s heart ached for her but before she could express her own sympathy, Kaelen drew in a deep breath and straightened in her seat. “Are you okay?”
“There is no point in mourning the things I cannot change, only honor those that came before me. I—I think I will be.”
Einstein hummed. “Is it possible someone could have made the journey ahead of you by way of a spatial anomaly? The explosion of Argon could have affected dark matter pockets for lightyears around. If a ship went through one of those pockets while space was folded, it would have sped the journey immeasurably, taking months rather than years.”
“I…I don’t know. The planet itself was caught off guard by the speed of the core meltdown. Only a select few knew of the real danger. Any ships leaving from our orbiting research center would have been programmed to find the nearest habitable planet.”
“What about your neighboring planet?”
“Hogath? That was no longer sustainable for life. Wex insists that the signal is most likely from an Explorer ship that somehow got lost and stranded here on Earth. My people knew about this planet from the Tau Ceti. It makes logical sense that an Explorer vessel would have set off to investigate the nature of it.”
Leah moved around the table and closer to Kaelen. She reached out to take the woman’s hand, then changed her mind at the last second. After all, she had no knowledge of Kaelen’s species and thought it best not to assume anything about personal space or physical contact. She learned that from Einstein. “It will require some time with you and your AI to figure out exactly what and how the pod is broadcasting so we can build a detector—”
“And decoder. The message is also scrambled so people that would do Argonians harm can’t find the pod.”
“Decode and descramble then. Either way, we’ll do our best to find any of your people that remain.”
Kaelen appeared overwhelmed at Leah’s words. She reached toward Leah’s hand but pulled back at the last second. Leah closed the distance for her, and Kaelen delicately grasped her palm. “Thank you. In return I promise to do good work for you.”
Leah smiled, a look that completely enamored the Canadian from Argon if the expression on her face was anything to go by. “Of that I have no doubt. Welcome to Lockheed International, Kaelen.”
* * * *
While the brunt of the technical work for the nano project fell upon Einstein and Kaelen’s shoulders, Leah and Ellie provided invaluable information and assistance regarding human biology. Kaelen was awed at the knowledge that the humans possessed, especially Leah. She brought it up one day while they were all in the lab.
“You’re exceedingly intelligent and highly trained. It is a marvel considering the inefficiency of the Earth education systems. I myself find the human body fascinating and can’t wait to explore more.”
Ellie snickered and Kaelen observed Leah’s cheeks grow warm with a blush. “Um, thank you. Despite how intelligent we all are, I’m glad you’re working with us, Kaelen. You’ve pushed this project to the next level.”
Einstein nodded over his analysis of a slide. “I agree. Your presence on this project has been most beneficial.” When he was finished, Einstein walked over to the bench where Kaelen was working. “You mentioned that you had a nano drone taken from your ship. May I examine it?”
“Kaelen Ra-Evon, it is most unwise to—”
“If our project can benefit from the knowledge contained within my drone, then I see no reason not to let them look at it. I trust them, Wex.” They couldn’t hear the assistant’s voice because Wex still spoke through the communicators. But no one said anything to her when she occasionally responded to it.
“It is against Argonian code to advance primitive world science beyond their natural capability.”
“We will be careful.” That was the end of the argument as far as she was concerned.
Kaelen retrieved the drone from her satchel. The other three scientists gasped when she instructed Wex to disassemble and reassemble it while they watched.
“May I study this?” Einstein held up a hand. “I promise not to damage it in any way or copy technology without discussing with you first.” Kaelen smiled and handed it over. He made to walk away but paused and glanced back at her. “I put my initial design for the beacon receiver in the project file on the SPL network. I’d like you and Wex to analyze it. We still need to convert Argonian data waves to something comparable in Earth technology to program a fast receiver.”
“I will. Thank you.”
He nodded and walked away, already focused on the makeup of the nano drone.
* * * *
A little over a month and a half later, or two signal pulses after hiring her into L-I, Leah sat Kaelen down and admitted that her algorithms still hadn’t been able to triangulate the location of the mystery ship with their receiver, despite the chemical makeup of the Argonian personal craft’s hull that Wex provided. The signal was hard to detect and their world was a large place.
“I have a backup option that will work based on the same frequency provided by your AI, but it’s not practical. I pre-emptively approved a time allotment from one of Lockheed’s geosynchronous satellites every month and a half to scan down to the surface.”
“You know for certain this satellite will trace the signal?” Leah nodded. Kaelen’s heart raced but she tried to temper her hope. “Why isn’t it practical?”
“Unfortunately, the satellite can only scan a small area at a time, no more than twenty miles in diameter.” She reached into a storage pocket of her hover chair and withdrew a small tactical flashlight and called out, “Room lights, ten percent.” Overhead lights lowered until they were in near darkness. Leah pointed the flashlight toward one wall, then moved the cone of light across the surface. “The cone of light represents the satellite scan. I can make it broader and cover a larger area—” She moved the end of the flashlight so the beam spread out and became more diffuse.
“But the scan isn’t as precise.”
“Exactly. I’m sorry Kaelen, but I don’t know how to speed up this process. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. Room lights, one hundred percent.”
Kaelen tilted her head. “Why would you attempt such a thing?”
“It’s a saying meaning that something is difficult or near-impossible. I know our technology will work, but we have to be “listening” to the right area to receive the beacon which seems like a daunting task. Checking a couple dozen miles every six weeks means it could take hundreds of years unless we get lucky and hit just the right spot.” She shook her head. “I don’t know about your race, but mine is not so long lived.”
“What do we do? Wex, is there any other information you can provide that will make our task easier? How did you determine our landing coordinates on the surface of the planet?”
Wex’s voice came through her communicators. “Standard Explorer Guild practice dictates the appropriate landing region of a foreign planet.”
“What did it say?”
Leah gave her a curious look so Kaelen said, “Use the external communicator speakers please, Wex.”
“Yes, Kaelen Ra-Evon. Appropriate landing region is one no closer than a dendol of minimal atmospheric shuttle speed outside one of the top five population centers of a continent, but no farther away than one and a half dendol.”
Kaelen explained, “My closest approximation of a dendol is an Earth hour.”
“So, between one and one and a half hours outside a major population center. What is atmospheric shuttle speed?”
“Translated to miles per hour would be ninety-nine point two.”
Leah had pulled a tablet from a compartment on her chair and began taking notes. “This is great, we can work with this. We’re looking at a region between one hundred and one hundred and fifty miles away from one of the top five cities in North America. Let’s see, Mexico City, New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, and…gah, is it Chicago or Houston?”
“It is Chicago, Leah Lockheed-Tuck.”
Leah made a strange face at Kaelen when she answered Wex. “Uh, thank you.” Then she brought up a map of North America and began drawing large circles around the cities she mentioned.
“How does this help us? That’s still a massive area to search. Wex, are there any other details to the Explorer Guild guidelines?”
“The destination was broken into regions, either by the computer using geographic markers or established political boundaries. Destination should be closest to the midpoint of the most populous nation.”
“That rules out both Canada and Mexico. Wait, how did you end up in Canada, Kaelen?”
Kaelen laughed. “Apparently, guild rules can be changed when the air space above the target destination is heavily guarded. Wex, where were we originally headed before landing in the Northwest Territories?”
“The target city was Chicago. It features a significant amount of air defense.”
“I’ll say! That’s the current home to the CORP headquarters. I hope the ship we’re looking for wasn’t found by them.”
Kaelen grew alarmed. “Are they bad people?”
“No, the CORP isn’t comprised of bad folks any more. But it is still a government organization and would probably jump at the chance to take any crashed ship apart.”
Kaelen shivered as she remembered the reports of what the humans did to the original stranded alien that led to the creation of their Chromodecs. “We should change our target and begin searching around this new city.”
With a few keystrokes, Leah brought up a map of the United States and zoomed in on the Midwest. “Our job will be a little easier because we can probably eliminate the significant portion that is Lake Michigan.”
“At one hundred to one hundred and fifty of your miles, it is still a large area to search.”
Leah tapped her bottom lip then began typing furiously. She downloaded a map of the region then wrote a quick computer program to lay out circles the equivalent of twenty miles in diameter until the land was covered with no gaps. There were almost a hundred and fifty circles. She sighed and dropped the tablet onto her lap.
Kaelen frowned. “By my calculation, the new search could take as long as eighteen years to complete.”
“Realistically, it probably wouldn’t be the first or last place we scanned. There is a high probability we find it somewhere in the middle of that time period.”
Kaelen gave her a helpless look. “Do you have any other options?”
“Nothing, I’m afraid. I’ll write the code for a new search routine this evening. For lack of any other options, I’ll direct the satellite to begin at the farthest point of land in our perimeter, east of center. I’ll program it to scan in a clockwise direction.” Leah pointed toward the map. “Someplace called Pentwater.”
Kaelen nodded. There was a small part of her that secretly hoped the mystery ship was one of her immediate house, perhaps her mother or father. It was small because she knew the odds were extremely low that any of the four elders that she left behind were able to get to a ship before the explosion. Her heart hurt to think on it so she shifted her focus back to Leah. She looked into Leah’s eyes and froze much the way she’d done the day she was interviewed. There was something about Leah that drew her attention like nothing else.
Kaelen was discomfited at being thrown into an entirely new world filled with complex and unique social cues, but there was one bright spot to her existence in Los Angeles. Once she got control of her maximal hearing, Wex stopped filtering the sounds of the city for her. At first, it was disconcerting the way she always knew the location of Leah. Kaelen would never admit it to anyone, but sometimes at night when she worried for her future and found her thoughts fixating on the mystery ship, she would listen intently until she could identify the sound of Leah’s calm breathing and heartbeat among hundreds of thousands around her. It was soothing and made her feel safe.
Her heart sped to match Leah’s as they continued to stare at one another. Kaelen’s reverie was broken by Leah’s question. “Is something wrong?”
She ducked her head slightly and looked up at Leah, feeling shy. “No. Everything is well. Thank you.”
* * * *
A few nights later found Kaelen humming an old Argonian song while she worked on a nano generator after standard lab hours. She paused when she heard the sound of Leah’s heartbeat grow closer, and her own heart raced with excitement. The elevator gave a ding down the hall, and she knew the owner of Lockheed International was coming to visit, as she often did after her corporate day was finished. Kaelen enjoyed working late since she didn’t have anything to do at her apartment other than remember all the people she’d loved and lost. She’d already spent too much time staring into her holocube.
Kaelen didn’t mind the interruption because she spent most of her evenings drowning in loneliness. Only four people had clearance to work in her lab and she often missed friendly conversation after Einstein left each day. She looked up with a smile to see Leah on the other side of the reinforced plas walls, scanning into the room via the biometric panel. “Hi, Leah. I heard you coming down.”
Leah paused the hoverchair inside the door and gave her a curious look. “You heard me?” Kaelen nodded.
“Coming down the hall?”
“No, coming down in the elevator from your office.”
Leah maneuvered over to the bench where Kaelen was standing. “Kaelen, my office is on the other side of the building…on the twenty-fourth floor.”
Kaelen nodded in agreement. “Yes, I visited once so I’m aware of its location.”
“People can’t hear that far.”
“I can.” Leah sat in silence for a few seconds and Kaelen wondered if she had done something wrong.
The other woman tilted her head. “Humans can’t hear that far. Does your enhanced hearing have anything to do with the fact that you’re an Argonian?”
Wex gave a warning in her ear. “Kaelen Ra-Evon, please be aware of your third objective. You were cautioned by your parents to hide your yellow sun powers on Earth, for fear that the humans would react negatively.”
“It’s only hearing, and this is Leah. What harm could there be?”
Leah’s brows drew together. “Are you speaking to me?”
Kaelen blushed. “Um, no. I’m talking to Wex. I’m sorry, it is reminding me of my objectives while on Earth.”
Unsurprisingly, her words failed to clear up Leah’s confusion. “What objectives?”
“I was given a set of guidelines created by my mother and father. Some I’ve already completed, such as hiding my ship, applying for asylum, and exchanging minerals for wealth. Others are ongoing.”
“And why would Wex warn you about your objectives when I questioned your acute hearing?”
Kaelen knew how brilliant Leah was, that she was considered a genius on Earth, though the term was hard to quantify in regards to any other beings in the universe. She now understood the necessity of Wex’s warning but still trusted Leah. “I seem to have gained certain abilities since coming to Earth. It has something to do with the yellow sun and the way my cellular structure reacts to the radiation it produces.”
Leah’s eyes widened and her respiration rate increased at Kaelen’s admission. “And enhanced hearing is one of those abilities?” Kaelen nodded. “You have more?”
“Yes, but I can’t disclose them. I’m sorry, Leah. Wex is most adamant. My guide says it is for my protection. I hope you understand.”
Red lips opened with surprise and Kaelen stared hard at the colored skin, wondering if they were as soft to touch as they appeared. Wondering how the paint that gave them their dark color tasted. She was broken from her observations when Leah covered her hand with a warm palm.
“I would never ask you to divulge personal information if you’re not comfortable with it. I’d like to think we’re becoming friends and I will support you in whatever way I’m able.” Leah paused before continuing. “And I won’t tell anyone else about your hearing, or possible other powers.”
Kaelen contemplated Leah’s statement. “Are humans capable of verbal compliance without signing many wasteful pages of agreement?”
“Are you asking if humans are capable of telling the truth, or are we capable of making promises?”
“The second one. I understand too well that everyone has the ability to lie.”
Leah nodded sadly. “How about this,” she held up her smallest finger. “When my sister and I make promises to each other, ones that we never intend to break, we always pinky swear.”
“Is this a special power, or legal agreement?”
Kaelen got a soft smile and gentle head shake for her question. “No, it’s simply a promise from one person to another, words born from trust, affection, and respect.”
“Okay.” Kaelen held up her own hand with the pinky in the air, mimicking Leah’s gesture. Leah reached over and hooked their pinkies together.
“I swear not to divulge anything about your yellow sun power, or existence thereof, without your express approval.” Then she shook their hands slightly while the pinkies were locked.
The gesture may have been small, possibly insignificant in the grand scheme of her new world, but it meant something to Kaelen. Not only for the promise, but for the physical contact. One thing she had become painfully aware of was exactly how touch-starved she was since arriving on Earth. But with her new powers, Kaelen wasn’t confident enough to initiate contact with anyone, fearing the amount of damage she could cause on accident. She whispered, “Thank you, Leah Lockheed-Tuck. You are my favorite person on Earth.”
Leah’s smile was wide. “More than Einstein?”
“Yes.”
The conversation ended there and Leah released her finger. She moved to the computer station on the bench next to Kaelen, cursing as she had to lift the keyboard into her lap to log in. She quietly began her own work and Kaelen wondered why Leah didn’t use the computer station across the room that was set up with easy access for a chair rather than the tall bench with cabinets beneath. Not wanting to say something insensitive, she stayed silent as she adjusted the replication settings for their second batch of nanobots.
A few minutes later, Kaelen walked over to one of the large cabinets on the far wall. She opened her personal drawer and frowned, then pulled out two empty boxes. “Quark.”
Leah snickered and Kaelen wondered if she shouldn’t have used the expletive that she’d heard Einstein utter many times. She glanced over at her. “Sorry, Leah. Apparently, my food stock has run out. I’ll need to purchase more when I leave here but I’m unsure if the provision business is open this late in the evening.”
“Don’t you have any food at home?”
Kaelen shook her head. “I brought my last two boxes here since I work most of the hours of the day. I didn’t realize my supply was nearly empty.”
Leah held up a hand. “Wait. When you say food stock, what are you referring to?”
Kaelen held up the boxes for a popular brand of protein bar. “I like the chocolate one best, but they are all excellent. Wex analyzed my options in the business near my apartment and, given my inability to work with raw Earth foods, it recommended this product to meet my needs. I discovered them in Vancouver Canada and was happy to see Los Angeles also had them within the commodity stores.”
“Kaelen! Are you telling me that you’ve been on Earth for more than four months and you’ve only eaten CLIF bars?”
“Yes. Is that…wrong?”
Leah slapped her hand against her face, something Einstein said was called a face-palm, and Kaelen briefly wondered if it hurt the other woman. She hoped not since she found the symmetry and texture of Leah’s face pleasing.
“When you say you’re unable to work with raw Earth foods, what exactly does that mean? You can’t eat any of the native food stuffs?”
Kaelen shook her head, not sensing anything more than curiosity from her friend. “Things here are unfamiliar. Back on Argon everything was prepared for us. I don’t know how to put the Earth foods together or how long to cook the ingredients to make them edible. I experimented twice and regretted both meals. Very much.” She shrugged helplessly. “Everything about Earth is incredibly primitive. I never realized how much that would affect my life beyond basic science.”
Leah’s eyes widened with shock and Kaelen feared she’d made her angry until she spoke in a steady, kind tone. “Why haven’t you gone to a restaurant after you leave work, or on your lunch break?”
“But I’m not tired when I—oh. Wex says those are eateries that provide prepared food.”
“Oh, Kaelen. It’s time we continued your Earth education.”
“How will—”
“Log off your workstation and gather your things. I’m taking you out to eat.”
Kaelen was confused. “This eating out, it is a good thing? Is there a difference between eating out and eating in?”
Leah blushed for an unknown reason, but she answered Kaelen with the same patience she always answered her questions. “Wex is correct. A restaurant is a place that prepares food for you. You can purchase the prepared food to eat on the premises, or to take home. Are you allergic to any Earth foods?”
Kaelen found the question confusing but Leah elaborated without asking.
“Can any harm you?”
“I don’t think any food on this planet can harm me.”
“Good. Now, gather whatever items you would normally take home with you, and I’ll treat you to dinner.”
“Do these restaurants have machines to combine and heat the foods? If so, can’t I purchase one for myself?”
Leah snorted. “Come along, Kaelen Ra-Evon. I’m going to treat you to something a lot better than protein bars.” She logged off her own workstation and waited by the door. Kaelen hurried with her shutdown routine then threw her empty boxes in the recycling bin before joining her. Leah glanced at her as they made their way toward the elevator that would take them up from the sublevel where SPL was located. “Do you trust me?”
“Implicitly.” Kaelen’s answer was immediate, and Leah gave her a wide-eyed look as her hoverchair moved into the elevator.
“Really?”
“Have we not pinky sworn?” Leah pushed the P button for the parking garage. Kaelen usually walked to work from her one-room apartment so had never been in the garage before.
“In most cases, informally, you usually pinky swear about a certain specific topic only.”
“I gathered that. But I also know that if I can trust you about something that would be scientifically and medically enticing, such as enhanced hearing, I can probably trust you with the minor things of my existence.”
The elevator dinged and they exited. “That makes…a lot of sense actually.”
“Of course, it does. I’m logical and intelligent. I would hope to speak sensibly.”
“You sound too much like Einstein.”
Kaelen caught Leah rolling her eyes and assumed she said something else odd. While Earth languages on their own were easy to learn, local slang, idioms, and other odd turns of phrase often confused her. They stopped in front of a sleek looking van and Kaelen grew confused. “Will you operate this vehicle yourself?” She’d studied Earth vehicles after arriving on the planet, and all the ones she’d seen required hands and feet to operate.
“Do you see a driver inside?”
Taking the comment as a serious question, Kaelen focused intently on the van, trying to discern the existence of another person within. Her vision abruptly shifted, and she could see everything at once. She reeled and pressed her palms against her eyes. “No, no, no! Wex, what is happening?”