Absolute Zero - Chapter 24
"So, where is life taking you next?"
Wyatt and Abbi provided statements at the police station located in an unmarked section of the ring. As the explosion and resultant death occurred in space (where jurisdiction was murky) and the incident may have been due to component failure (which happened a lot), the two were cleared of wrongdoing. The resort preferred to move on as quickly and quietly as possible to minimize any negative impact on tourism. The shipyard was told to expedite the preparation of their ships and have them fully stocked and fueled. They were told to report directly to their ships, leave, and (in no uncertain terms) never come back.
Wyatt and Abbi sat across from each other on the spoke shuttle, their bags stowed beneath, headed back to the hub. They didn't speak for a long while, as each silently processed recent events in their own way.
Wyatt turned away from the window to look at his daughter, who stayed fixated on the view of segments flashing by. She was a mature and capable adult now, making her own way in the universe. Independent, smart, and able to handle anything thrown at her. She ended up just fine without much of a mother or father to raise her. Part of him hoped these past couple of days could be the restart he always wanted. But he was also realistic and accepted that it may be too late for them to have any sort of a meaningful relationship going forward.
"So, back to work," he said finally, trying to break the ice. Abbi turned to him with a blank look. Then sighed.
"Yeah, back to Schirra to face whatever I've gotten myself into."
"It seems like they like you there."
"Yeah, well I can only play the purple heart card so many times."
"Wait, what? You were in combat?"
"Yeah." She squirmed a little beneath the straps holding her to the bench seat. "On Luna. Battle of Schrödinger Basin."
"I heard about that! You were there?"
"When it started, yeah."
"A transport was ambushed," he recalled from articles he had read a few years ago. At the time he didn't know that she had taken the surname Smith. She really does want to leave her past behind.
"I don't want to talk about it." It was something that would take energy to recount, and her mental reserves were tapped.
"Sure."
"I'd like to keep tabs on you," he said with some effort. "You can put me down as a next of kin or something. If you want."
"I will."
He looked down and exhaled loudly, overcome with emotion. She watched him but wasn't ready to provide comfort. She was at her limit for now. After a few minutes he straightened and squeezed the bridge of his nose.
"So, where is life taking you next?" she asked.
"I'll just pick a direction and go until I run into something. Or something finds me."
"There's no resistance in space. So, Newton's law says you'll keep floating forever."
"Ah, that's where people have it wrong," he said, enthusiasm in his voice. "People think Newton's Third Law states that an object will continue in a straight line unless it encounters an opposing force. But actually, Newton was saying that there are forces all around us that affect where our paths take us. The forces aren't out there to stop us. They're to guide us."
"Those forces influence where our ships go?"
"And who we meet."
It was Abbi's turn to smile. "You turned into quite the professor."
"I do a lot of reading."
They considered the theory and sighed in unison. Then returned their attention to the window in silence, feeling gravity disappear.
The pair crossed the shipyard floor to the central processing building. Most of the wreckage was cleaned up already and robots were power washing the wall. Abbi's and Wyatt's datapads reported that their ships were docked at opposite sides. They queued up with fellow passengers to get permission to depart.
Ed exited the side of the building, then stopped on seeing the two. He jerked his head to the side, indicating they should leave their spot and follow him to an area where there were cargo movers parked and secured by nets. An area similar to where they were recently ambushed.
"Hey, so, that guy who expired...he wasn’t who you think he was."
Wyatt and Abbi shot him a confused look.
"He may have looked like him,” Ed continued. “But he was actually just a concierge."
Abbi looked at Wyatt with a mix of horror and anger. “I thought you said that was the guy.”
“It looked just like him.”
“Did you check his hand?”
Wyatt didn’t want to admit that he didn’t.
“Hey, it's OK. He was a dead ringer. See?” Ed showed his datapad which displayed a side-by-side comparison of two nearly identical head shots.
"Looks like a doppelgänger," Ed observed.
"The wolf probably paid him to sniff out any traps," Abbi added.
"But he was just some innocent guy?" Wyatt's body weakened, and he was grateful for the lack of gravity that kept him upright.
"Not that innocent," Ed said. "He was brought on because a higher up called in a favor. Shady from the start. Things started getting stolen and people started getting hurt since he arrived. And might have been slinging Internet hookups too. So, I don't think he'll be missed."
“Still…” The additional context did little to comfort Wyatt.
“The upside is that you’re free to go," Ed continued. "Certs have been uploaded to your pads. Your birds are ready and waiting."
He then leaned towards Wyatt and said, "you and me are even now." Then clomped away to return to work.
"Looks like it's that time then," Wyatt said quietly.
"Looks like."
Neither was sure what to say next, but he could see that Abbi was ready to leave.
"Well…" Wyatt said, not sure if a hug was appropriate. Abbi answered by embracing him, squeezing hard for a three-count, then stepping back. She grimaced on seeing tears in Wyatt's eyes.
"Again?"
"Sorry, sorry…" he said, wiping them away. "Keep in touch, OK?"
She nodded. "Bye, Dad." Dad.
He watched her go, trudging to her awaiting ship.
Wyatt sniffed, coughed, and headed in the opposite direction. He forced his mind to shift back to business, and reviewed his datapad to confirm where his skiff was parked. And to see the final bill.
It was comped.
"Holy crap!" he said out loud. They really do want all of it to disappear.
A lesser surprise was a new message in his inbox. With a finger tap it opened.
Well played -Widow.
That was the entire message, with no return address.
He forwarded it to Abbi and added, "Do know who this is?"
"No idea," was her concise reply. Always no-nonsense that one. He was excited about whatever the future had in store for her. And to hear her voice as she shared her tales.
The anonymous message was just a few words, but it rattled him. He decided he would think on that later. Right now, he had enough things to keep him occupied. For one, he yearned to return to Orla. He felt guilty about his recent transgression and was eager to confess and make amends. That moment of weakness was a step backwards, and a reminder that he would forever be a recovering addict. Always struggling to be better.
The return flight to Earth was booked for 43 days from now, and it would cost the non-profit a fortune to reschedule. So, until then, it was back to the routine. Back into the void.
Saving nomads.
Thank you for reading! Final chapter is next. If you enjoyed reading this, please support the author by purchasing a copy of the book at Amazon.com.