Chapter 5 #3
We’re naturally small, much smaller than humans, but we miniaturise for travel because smaller objects require less energy to accelerate. Also, we age more slowly. But our ability to travel at extreme speed is critical. Faster than the speed of light. It’s beyond the current technology of Earth.
“Would you share your scientific knowledge with this world?”
The answer didn’t come immediately.
If I felt it would be of benefit.
“What happened after you ended up in the tank?”
We were able to hide inside the archaea, absorb some of the culture medium and became blobs, as you called us. Be careful!
Kaden had almost forgotten to look when he crossed the road. He waited for a gap in the traffic and then crossed.
“Were the others trying to hurt you? That’s what I thought when I saw you, that you were trying to get away from them.”
They wanted to use me to benefit themselves.
My job was to protect and serve, but only one of them, not all of them.
Lanu was furious that our bond hadn’t completed as we fell.
He linked to another just before the crash.
If he hadn’t, he would have died. He was angry with me and convinced the rest I’d deliberately evaded him.
“Did you?”
Yes.
Kaden gulped. “Why? If that was your job?”
For the first time, I could make a choice that made a difference. I wanted no harm to come to this planet. Better that we all died.
“You thought you’d die too?”
Yes.
“But how much harm could little things like you do?”
When billions of us followed…a lot of harm.
“Oh.” He gulped. “What do you look like?”
Not like you. Not like miniature humans.
“Would I freak out if I saw the real you?”
Joe huffed. No. Yes. Probably. I’d like to think you wouldn’t. But you probably would. My wings were magnificent.
Kaden smiled. “Wings? That sounds fun.”
Yes. Wings were fun.
Kaden wondered at the past tense. Did that mean Joe didn’t have wings anymore?
Lanu ate them immediately after we entered the tank.
Kaden gasped and tripped. He took a moment to steady himself. “Ate them? That’s awful. You eat each other?”
Others can eat protectors. It is only permitted in dire circumstances. Lanu ate them more from spite and anger than need. The culture medium and the archaea gave some nourishment.
“I’m sorry. That’s terrible.”
They’d almost caught me in the tank. No one was able to use their wings once we’d hidden. That was lucky for me, otherwise they’d have captured me. You saved me. Thank you. I’m sorry about what I then did to you. Especially after Harris had hurt you.
“I understand why you did it.” Though he was still unhappy about it.
He felt Joe rhythmically stroking his back.
Do you hate me?
“No.” Not hate, because Kaden understood Joe had done what he’d done because he felt he had no choice.
“Are you similar to any creature on this planet?”
Not that I have yet seen.
Kaden chewed his lip. They’d been through several of the library’s books on animals, insects and reptiles. “Can you tell me about your planet and what it’s like?”
It rotates around a sun similar to Earth’s sun but at a greater distance.
There are five moons. All water is stored underground.
We’re technologically advanced through necessity.
We’re running out of some elements and minerals.
The planets we went to before this one had small amounts of rare elements.
Earth looked promising because the atmosphere suited us more than any other we had visited. That meant colonisation was possible.
Joe paused, then asked. What do you think will have happened to the contents of the tank?
“I don’t know.” Kaden’s anxiety soared again. “Now I’m worried. What if they got out too? Oh God. I need chocolate.”
Explain God. And chocolate.
“I’ll buy chocolate. Religion is complicated. I’ll try and explain.”
When he was almost home, having told Joe all he knew about religion, which brought on a lot of questions, he detoured to the corner shop.
The chocolate display was by the counter and Kaden let the snack change in his pocket run through his fingers as he decided what to buy.
A Mars bar. It was his favourite. He gave the guy the right money and had the bar in his mouth before he’d walked out.
Oh ooooh oooooooh.
Kaden heard Joe moaning and smiled as he chewed.
This is so delicious. You name your chocolate after the planets in your solar system?
“Some of them. Milky Ways are pretty tasty as well. And Galaxy chocolate. Flying Saucers and Space Dust are sweets of a different kind.”
Can I try them?
“Another day.”
Take another bite. A small one. Make the bar last.
Kaden was still smiling at Joe’s moans as he reached his road, but when he saw Harris’ car in the visitor parking spot, the smile dropped from his face and he stopped walking.
Harris. Joe snarled in Kaden’s head.
Kaden took a deep breath and carried on walking. His heart was racing. Harris stepped from the vehicle just before Kaden reached it.
“I need to talk to you,” Harris said. “Can I come up?”
No sat on Kaden’s lips but inside his head Joe said Let him!
“Not if there’s going to be a repeat of what happened last night.”
There won’t be! Well, he might be hurt.
Kaden could feel Joe’s anger simmering under his skin, a sharp needle-like sensation that made him even more anxious.
“There won’t,” Harris said.
Against his better judgement, but with the awareness that Joe had successfully dealt with three local thugs, Kaden nodded. And yes, a little bit of him wanted Joe to thump Harris if he tried anything. Well, it would be him thumping Harris.
When they were in his room, Kaden put his backpack out of harm’s way before he faced him.
He’d half-expected him to turn up and apologise.
That was what he usually did. Though he’d never been as brutal as he had last night, never done anything like that.
Before, it had been a thump or a slap or holding him too tight when they…
On those few occasions, Harris had managed to talk Kaden into forgiving him and convince him that it wouldn’t happen again.
Sorry wasn’t going to cut it now, though Kaden still wanted to hear sorry coming out of his mouth.
“There’s a problem at the lab,” Harris said. “A possible security breach.”
Not what Kaden expected to hear. His mouth went dry and his heart immediately raced. He waited for Joe to slow it down. It slowed. And his mouth was no longer dry.
“You went into the lab on the same floor as my office,” Harris said. “The one at the end of the corridor where we use waste tissue to culture microbes. You remember the tanks with the archaea? You asked Alisha about them?”
Oh fuck. FUCK! “Yes.”
Don’t tell him what you did.
Kaden stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Or maybe Joe did.
“Some material has gone missing.” Harris tugged at his hair.
Go bald! That would serve him right, though the bastard would probably look good.
“What material? How has it gone missing?” Kaden knew the questions would be expected.
“When we arrived this morning, it was discovered that one of the tanks was missing some of the culture medium and archaea that should have been in it. The contents were destined for incineration today or tomorrow, but…” Harris let out a heavy sigh.
Am I under suspicion? Was Joe worried?
Yes. Ask what some means.
“Max said there was nothing dangerous in there,” Kaden said. “And what does some mean?”
“The material wasn’t dangerous. But any incident like this has to be thoroughly investigated.
No one signed to say part of the contents had been removed for incineration.
There’s a protocol that has to be followed.
It could just be a slip, but no one admits to incinerating anything.
And why take some of the material and not all?
Martin is livid. He’s demanding answers. ”
“What does it have to do with me?” Kaden felt strangled by guilt. But what did some mean? He didn’t feel he could ask again without making Harris suspicious. But were the others still in the tank or not?
“I didn’t do anything.” Kaden wanted the words back as soon as they’d left his mouth. But then he hadn’t said them. Joe had. How had he done that? Stop it, Joe!
“I know,” Harris said. “We think the material was there when you left yesterday afternoon.”
Think? Oh shit.
“What remained has now been destroyed. The entire building is being deep cleaned. Good thing you weren’t coming in today or tomorrow. Well, you wouldn’t have been given access.”
“What about CCTV?” Kaden mentally crossed his fingers.
“Not in the labs. No one who hadn’t been authorised entered the building. It’s unfortunate the disappearance coincided with your visit.” Harris stared at him intently.
“I assume you don’t want me to write about that.”
Harris gave a short laugh. “Did you take anything from the lab?”
“No.” Kaden spoke firmly. “You just said you thought the material was there when I left. Why would I take anything?”
Harris frowned. Kaden felt the need to distract him. “Have you considered any alternatives?” He had just the question. “What if the archaea turned cannibalistic and ate each other?”
Harris snorted. “Not the explanation we’re looking for.”
“Can you be sure? Maybe you weren’t feeding them what they needed. They died one by one and then were eaten by the survivors. Like sea monkeys. Not cannibalistic as such but they feed on the dead ones.”
“If that was the case, only one would remain.”
“So there was more than one left? How many went missing?” His pulse jumped.
“None if your theory is correct. It’s also possible a lab technician destroyed some of the material prematurely and doesn’t want to admit it.”
So why had he come? This didn’t seem like something Harris ought to be telling him. And he’d still not said how many remained in the tank.
Ask him again.
Kaden couldn’t without making him suspicious.
Ask!
Harris sucked in his cheeks. “Are you okay?”
Ah. Maybe that was really why he was here. “What do you think?”
“I…I went too far last night. I’m sorry. I’m glad you seem to be all right. I worried I’d done you some serious damage.” Harris half-smiled as he reached towards him but Kaden stepped back well out of reach.
“Don’t touch me.” You did do serious damage sat on his lips but all his bruises and scrapes were gone and he had no way to explain that.
“Come on, Kaden. I was just…disappointed.”
That I had the nerve to dump you? “You hurt me.” His heart thumped and Joe soothed it. His stomach roiled and Joe calmed it.
Harris gave a short laugh. “Not as badly as I’d thought, clearly.”
Oh for fuck’s… The contrition hadn’t lasted long.
He reached again for Kaden and while Kaden intended to step back, that wasn’t what happened.