This is a continuation of chapter one of my #SciFi #WIP – You may read the first part of the chapter here: https://steemit.com/story/@momzillanc/the-time-it-takes-to-die-a-scifi-wip

Conclusion of Chapter One

Mars
Anna Sinclair paced the length of the passenger lounge of Gamma Colony’s shuttle port on Mars. How had Yianelle ever gotten into such a mess? The Interplanetary Press Corp (IPC) reports from earth had been so vague. One thing was certain, the assassin would’ve killed Yianelle too, if this Leo person hadn’t killed the man first, before then dying himself. Thinking about it, Anna couldn’t quite suppress a shudder.

She was relieved when the shuttle began disembarking and composed herself forcefully. She greeted Yianelle with her best smile and a warm hug over the pet carrier and carry-on luggage with which Yianelle was weighted down. As she relieved her fried of half her burden, Anna noticed the raw place on her cheek, barely concealed by an apple green scarf, draped artfully across that side of her face.

“Yiani, I’m so glad to see you!” Anna said with studied enthusiasm, as they headed toward the exit nearest the parking structure.

“I’m glad to be seen,” Yianelle replied softly, with a rather dreadful attempt at a smile. The painful seriousness in her green eyes – somehow paler than remembered – screamed deafening volumes to Anna.

In awkward silence, Anna led the way in the parking structure to her little blue RXJ-7 convertible hovercar. As she glided the hovercar smoothly into the air-traffic, Anna tried to start a light conversation. “How was your trip?”

Yianelle’s only response was a slight shrug.

Anna continued determinedly, “Your boss must be really generous to give you six months paid leave.”

Yianelle just looked at her searchingly, seeming to want to respond, but remaining silent.

Anna squeezed her friend’s hand, hoping to communicate, It’s alright. You’re safe now… not alone anymore. Aloud, she said as cheerfully as she could muster, “I’ve really missed you!”

Yianelle adjusted the scarf to better obscure her raw cheek. “I’ve missed you too…,” she began, then trailed off with, “…you don’t know how much.” Her expression was disturbingly drawn and furtive.

A plaintive meow drew her attention. She seemed to push back a dark curtain and smiled warmly. “You remember Colby,” she said, indicating the pet carrier. “I just couldn’t be away from for six whole months. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. But, I don’t know how Brynn’l take it. She’s rather a snob.” Anna warned.

“Yianelle laughed – Anna wished it had been more convincing – and replied, “Colby’ll win her over!” Everyone loves him. Why the last thing Leo said…” Yianelle trailed off into a silence that discouraged any attempts at conversation.

They rode in uneasy silence the rest of the way to Anna’s modest condo in an upscale suburb of Gamma Colony. As they unloaded the luggage, a puttering, old hovercar emitted an explosive popping sound as it rose into the air for take-off. Anna glimpsed the flash of gold eyes and black blur of the Siamese escaping the pet carrier when Yianelle dropped it. As she dropped it, she whirled around with white-rimmed, panic stricken eyes looking for assassins with ancient twentieth century guns aimed at her. Anna captured Colby as he leaped from under the car, suffering only one painfully deep slice across her forearm from those classic Siamese razor sharp claws.

Yianelle’s eyes were shut tight against a very personal terror, as she sank to the pavement beside Anna’s hovercar. Anna hurried around the car to where Yianelle sat on the tarmac, her knees tightly drawn up with her arms wrapped around them, and her head pressed face down against them.

“Yiani?” Anna laid her hand gently on her friend’s shoulder. The cat yowled in protest at his mistress as Anna repeated her name urgently.

Yianelle lifted her eyes, fixated momentarily upon her scarf as it fluttered away in the constant breeze of the air-return near Anna’s assigned parking space. She continued her stricken gazing into the distance for several more seconds.

Yianelle laughed hollowly and began in a distant voice, dropping her stare to some empty, personal distance, her waist-length red-gold tresses obscuring most of her face, “It’s all an illusion, y’know…”

“What is?” Anna reflexively asked.

“The idea that we have any kind of control.” Yianelle looked up then here eyes wide and fixed, looking directly into Anna’s eyes. “The illusion can be stripped away in less time that it takes to look at your watch…” Yianelle sighed, the expression in her eyes was lost, adrift in a sea of terror, as she continued, “It can be stripped away in the time it takes to die.”

Yianelle began softly crying. Anna sat on the ground beside her. The cat reached out a paw to his mistress’s arm, mewing softly. Anna let him climb into her lap. Yianelle wrapped her arms around the cat and sobbed huge, wracking sobs. Anna sat there patiently, holding a cloth over her scratches, and listening to the huge ragged sobs… the beginning of healing.

To continue the tale, You may find Chapter Two here: https://steemit.com/story/@momzillanc/the-time-it-takes-to-die-chapter-two-wip

©14 June 2018, by D. Denise Dianaty