Stepping Up (12 page)

Score! But be nonchalant Sonia. Don’t blow this one!
“As it happens, I do.  And I hear said engineer is likewise unattached. 
Perhaps the two of you should get together?  Hey, can we move over to that
couch? The one in front of the window?  The stars are beautiful.”

Avi looks shocked and surprised. “Uh, sure, um, okay.”
Gods,
I hope I didn’t scare him off!
But he takes my hand and we walk over to the
couch.   I hope I can calm him down. As we sit he says, “Really nice night,
huh?” 

You’re in space, it’s ALWAYS night! But I keep that to
myself.

“A beautiful night,” I tell him.  “I love just watching the
stars slide by like this.”  I pull his arm around me and snuggle in close. 
He’s sitting, facing forward. I’m under his right arm, my head resting on his
chest, my feet on the cushion to my right.  I couldn’t have scripted a better
ending to a sucky day.

Then the trouble starts.

In the reflected glare on the viewport I see Jack walk in.
He looks around and walks right over to us. “Excuse me, please. Sonia, may I
have a word with you for two minutes? In private.”

Damn, DAmn, DAMn, DAMN!
“Not right now, Jack, no. 
You can come by the Lead Engineer’s Office tomorrow. I typically get in there
around 0700.  Goodnight, Jack.”
But does he walk away like a good little
Trooper? No, damn his boots, he stands there!

 “No, Sonia, really I can’t. Please, may I have just one
minute?”

Avi says, “Hey if you two need some time…” He starts to
stand until I pull him back down to the couch.

I can feel my face flushing.  “No, we don’t have anything to
say to each other right now, Jack.  Goodbye!”

“Sonia, please, let me explain…”

“It doesn’t matter.  Whatever you have to say, I don’t want
to hear. Your opportunity window is closed.  Now please, just go.”
Please
don’t escalate this!

Avi looks from me to Jack, “Friend, the lady asked you to
leave.” 
It’s too late for me to stop it.  There is going to be a fight.
 
Avi sets his mug down and stands up. Jack’s hands curl into fists, then open;
his knuckles crack.
Oh, this is not what I want or need.
Jack could
probably snap his spine with seven carefully chosen words and a raised eyebrow.

“I ain’t your friend, skinny!” Avi’s stein shatters as Jack
slaps it from the table. “And I don’t recall asking your…” He stops.  He’s
immobile.  His lip is still curled up, but now his eyes don’t look menacing,
they look scared.  The door to the lounge opens and Freddie runs in.  The
Captain walks in behind him.  Two more Troopers follow them. All other movement
in the lounge stops, a hush falls over the room.

The Captain walks to Avi, “Excuse me, doctor.  I need to
stand where you are.”  Avi steps aside wordlessly.  The Captain’s back is a lot
broader than I would have expected.  I can hear my heart beating.  It beats
twelve times before the Captain speaks again. “Sergeant Call.”

“Here, sir.” Freddie answers.  He sounds like he got caught
with his hand in the cookie jar.

“I am giving you a direct, specific order.”

“Yes, sir.”

The room waits; nobody moves or speaks. The Captain points
at Jack, “Space this miserable, troublesome piece of human debris and
the…‘baggage’ with which he pollutes my ship.”  The Captain’s head turns to
Freddie.  The hood slips a bit revealing scarred skin and thin wisps of hair. 
“Do you understand my orders, Sergeant?”

“Perfectly, sir.”

“Excellent.  Sergeant, I am displeased.  I expect better of
you.  If you disappoint me a second time, there will not be a third.  I trust
my meaning is clear?”

“Yes sir.  I apologize, sir.”  I have never imagined Freddie
being scared.  But I honestly think he’s about to drop a load in his pants. 
One of the Troopers zip ties Jack’s hands behind his back. Jack hasn’t moved
aside from his arms. The Trooper pushes Jack back into the other then stoops to
zip tie his feet.  He then picks them up and the two carry Jack out, stiff as a
board.

“Miss MacTaggert?”
Oh no, he’s talking to me!
“Miss
MacTaggert!”

“Yes, sir?”

“You will be in my office no later than 0600.”  He begins
striding to the door.

“Yes, sir.  Captain, a moment please?” I jog to catch up to
him.  I can feel every eye on me.  I know I don’t have long, so my words come
out in a rush.  “Sir, I mean no disrespect and would certainly never tell you
how to run your ship, but is this necessary? I met Jack on Earth. I pointed him
out to Fre…to Sergeant Call. He said look him up when I got back aboard.  I did
that and his psycho girlfriend tried to kill me.  I didn’t know he had a
girlfriend, much less a crazy one.  I can’t say what was on Sergeant Call’s
mind when he hired Jack, but Freddie must have seen something worthwhile or he
would have left him in that bar on Earth.  If he’s been a problem child, lock
him in the hold, whip him, starve him, but, please, sir, don’t chuck him out
the airlock.”

I can’t see his eyes under the hood, but I can feel them
drilling through me.  I feel like I’m in a medical scanner, like he’s looking
right through me.  My brain is on fire. I consider holding his gaze, but peripherally
see Avi shaking his head “no.”  I lower my gaze.

“Zero six. One side.” As an apparent afterthought he adds,
“Please.”

“Yes, sir.” I step aside. “I’ll be there.” 

He steps out and the door closes behind him.  Soon the
conversations resume.  It’s a fair bet I’m the topic of most of them.

Avi gestures to the sofa, we sit again and I snuggle back
under his arm. But the mood is gone.  “Guess I ruined this evening, didn’t I?
I’m sorry but I wasn’t going to let Jack take this moment from us.  But I also
don’t want to see him killed.  Call me crazy. Call me overly compassionate. 
And right now, call me confused but comfortable.  Because as bad as I feel, I
like lounging with you like this.”

“I like it too. Now listen to me, Sonia. I care about you.
So please never, ever, question the Captain’s decisions. Especially if you are
in a public forum.  He has spaced people for less than those reasons. Hear me?
Now, where were we?”

“You were comforting me because I feel responsible for two
people being killed.  Great Gods above, how can a temper be that hair trigger
and condemnation that quick?  In my head I know it’s not my fault, but my heart
isn’t hearing it.”

We sit together wordlessly, my head against his chest, until
I say the one thing Jimmy always ragged me about: “I can hear your heart
beating.”

“If you listen, you’ll hear it saying it isn’t as lonely as
it was this morning.” 

I don’t know how long we sit here.  But after awhile I look
around.  The place still has a lot of faces in it, but they are different from
the ones that were here when we walked in.  “It’s getting late,” I say. “I have
an early butt chewing, so I have to get some sleep.  But I don’t want to say
good night just yet.  Would you,” I pause nervously, “would you come back to my
room with me?  I want us to sleep together.  Primary emphasis is on ‘sleep’,
secondary on ‘together.’  I’m not offering anything else.”

He looks at me intently.  “Okay.”  His voice is steady, but
he’s shaking like a leaf on a tree on a windy autumn afternoon.  We stand; I
take his hand and lead the way to C-11.

Outside my stateroom I stop him.  “I’m not saying I’m going
to jump your bones,” I tell him, “but I’m not saying I won’t at another time
either. What I am saying is I’d like a warm breathing person next to me while I
sleep tonight.  That being the case, what do you say? Still willing?”

He just nods as he continues to tremble. As soon as the door
closes behind us, his words come rushing out: “I just have never been with a
woman like you before, so I’m not certain about the protocols.  There I said
it. I would love to lie next to you, but you’ll have to teach me how to do
anything else. But I know one thing: You are the most beautiful woman I have
ever seen in my life, and I am a good man.  Oops.  That was two things.”  He
smiles weakly.

I put my hands on his shoulders, then my fingers interlace
behind his head. “Rule number one:  Continue breathing.  It’s important.  You
are so sweet to say that.  And we’re sort of even:  I have never been with a
man having so gentle a spirit as yours.  And that’s how I
know
you’re a
good man.  Don’t worry about the protocols.  We’ll figure that part out
together.  Now, I’m going to step into the ’fresher.  You kick off your boots
and take off whatever you don’t want to sleep in.  At a minimum, take all the
bric-a-brac out of your pockets.  I’ll be right back.”

Closing the door behind me, I whisper to my reflection, “I
hope you’re right about him.”  I take off everything except my panties and put
my tee shirt back on.  There is no point in tempting him when neither of us is
sure where this is going.  I brush my teeth, brush out my hair and go back into
the main room.

His clothes are folded and on the desk, his boots on the
floor in front of them.  He’s already turned down the bed and is in it waiting
for me.  I climb in beside him. He’s still wearing his briefs.  I set my alarm
for zero five hundred.  I turn out the light and kiss him on the cheek.  I turn
over, spooning back into him. He’s trembling.  I pull his arm over me, putting
his hand over my navel.  “Thank you for being here for me.”

“You’re welcome,” he whispers.  With his arm around me, I’m
sure he feels me start shaking too.  But I’m not nervous, I feel guilty about
two people being dead now.  He holds me while I cry.

I wake to find his arm still around me.  If he slept, he
didn’t move.  Of course, I can’t prove that I did either.  I turn to face him,
giving him a light kiss on the tip of his nose.  “Good morning, sunshine. 
Thanks again for staying with me last night.  But right now, I have to go see
the Captain.  If I survive, I’ll call you later.”  I get out of bed and head
for the ’fresher to take a shower.

“I’m sure you’ll do okay. I’ll dress and let myself out.”

I enter the Captain’s outer office a few minutes before six. 
His aide, Jeanette Friday, makes note of my arrival and pushes the Com button
into the commander’s office.  When he answers, she says, “Engineer’s Mate Sonia
MacTaggert is here, sir.”

“Show her in, please.”  She presses a button on her desk. 
The door opens and I enter his office.

The Captain sits behind his desk, wearing a khaki version of
his short-sleeved tunic.  His respirator neckpiece stands on a holder on a
corner of the desk. The hood of the tunic hides his brow. I curtsy as I saw
Aria do. Ironically, his voice is not unpleasant.  He gestures at a chair
across from him.  “Good morning, Lead Engineer MacTaggert, thank you for your
punctuality.  Please be seated.  Would you prefer coffee or tea?”

Maybe it’s a social visit after all.
  I never would
have predicted it, not after last night. “Thank you, sir.  Tea, please.”  I
stare wide-eyed as a porcelain cup floats from the cupboard across the room.  A
kettle meets it in mid air and fills it with the steaming beverage.

“As is or cream and sugar?” He sounds amused by my surprised
expression.

“As is, thank you, sir.”  Despite the disturbing delivery,
the tea is quite tasty.

“You probably do not know, but at the same time a former
crewmember was disturbing the peace in the lounge, Dr. Sinnair was slipping
into a medically induced coma.  His disease, already terminal, is
accelerating.  Dr. Traynor does not expect him to recover to a level at which
he will be functional.  You are now Lead Engineer until our arrival at Atlas. 
Then, dependent on your desires and accomplishments, the promotion will either
be made permanent or you will return to your previous assignment and a Lead
Engineer recruited.  Your salary will of course increase to four and one half
thousand credits per week.  A copy of the transfer orders will appear in your
inbox within the hour.  Aria has already made the changes to the ship’s
roster.  Should you decide to keep the Lead Engineer billet, you will be free
to move into the Lead Engineer’s stateroom.  Discuss that with the Purser, it
makes no difference to me.  Again, thank you for being on time.  Enjoy your
tea.  Good day.”  He turns his chair to read the status reports on his holoCom.

I’m too dumbstruck to stand, much less accept that I’ve been
dismissed.  I take a sip of tea and a deep breath.  “Thank you for your
confidence, sir.  May I speak freely?”  Da always said my biggest weakness was
I never knew when—or more likely
how
—to keep my mouth shut. I start
speaking before he can wave me off. “It will be difficult for me to do the job
the way it needs to be done if my head is constantly on the chopping block.”

The Captain turns back to me. “And why, pray tell, would
your head be on the chopping block? You have flawless performance reports, your
subordinates respect you, and you are respected, well liked—even admired—by
your peers and trusted by your superiors. Go now, be at peace, continue to do
good work, and I shall reward you handsomely.” His chair spins back to a panel
where he is playing an unknown opponent in some multi-dimensional version of
chess, or maybe Go.  Clearly, the interview is over and I have been deemed fit
to live.

“Yes, sir.  Thank you again.”  I leave his office.  Before I
go to the LEO I go to Med Bay to check on Mack.  In the back of my head I pray
he’ll have been miraculously healed and sent to his stateroom for recuperation,
but I’m not optimistic about that having happened.

When I walk into Medical, I don’t see anybody.  I remember
where Mack was the last time I was here, so I go there.  “You in here, Boss?
I’m early for your report.” The lights are down in here.  A Life Tube has
replaced Mack’s bed.  Mack is now in stasis. The flickering lights and displays
cast odd shadows on the walls.  The sound of the blower motor as it breathes
for him is less than comforting.  I feel so helpless. All I can do is stand and
look at the Life Tube he’s in.  Dr. Traynor joins me.  She stands beside me
and  puts one arm around my waist. My head falls to her shoulder.  It’s been a
long time since I’ve leaned on a woman.  It’s been since Mummy, in fact.

“He almost didn’t make it through the night,” the doctor
tells me. “I’m afraid he won’t be with us much longer. If you’d like, you can
communicate with him, that computer terminal is connected to his brain.  Just
key in your message and read his responses.  And how are you doing, sweetie? I
hear you are a department head now.”

I walk over to the keyboard and type out a text message to
Mack: 
Boss, it’s Sonia.  I’m praying for you.  Do you have a living will or
anything like that?
  I really haven’t prayed for him, but I don’t know what
else to say.

I look up from the terminal and answer Doc Traynor’s
question, “Oh me? I’m fine.  Just peachy.  I saw my Captain order two crewmates
spaced, my mentor is rotting before my eyes, which gives me a dream job but at
too high a cost. And my boyfr...this guy I met.  It’s just a lot to process.  I
guess I’ll have the latitude to work on that improved armor now, though.” I
have to pause and dab a tear.  I change the subject out of desperation. “I
understand you had a pleasant visit with your...uncle was it? In Siberia?  I
recently learned you are Avi’s mum, came as a surprise to me I’m tellin’ ya. 
Dinna think you old enough.”

A green light blinks on the keyboard.  Mack has responded:
Hey, girlie, thanks.  Yes, I have a will. Aria can access it. I need a favor: 
I need you be my executrix. I want my house and my estate to go to my daughter,
Catherine. I can’t thank you enough for doing this for me, kiddo.  Please tell
Aria and she will handle the legalities and details. I don’t think I have much
time.

Doc smiles at me. “That’s how things happen around here,
honey. Don’t blink; they might make you the Captain.  And that’s very sweet of
you!! I will turn seventy-one in a few months. And you’re not exactly twenty
miles of bad road either. I’m confident—and a bit pleased—that my son has
caught your eye. I told him not to tell you he and I are related, so if you
want to be angry about it, I am your target.  You will find Avi to be a good
man. And girl, he is so sweet on you.  I mean in a big way.  And as his
supervisor, coworker, and mother if you go out of your way to hurt him…”

“Acknowledged. You’ll do my autopsy and sign off on ‘natural
but undetermined causes.’  I got it.  I know I may look like one of those
girls, but I’m not.  I can’t promise happily ever after, but I can promise
we’ll both suffer if we break up. And thanks back to you—just like I told
him—Avi has a refreshingly sweet, gentle spirit.  His was a comfortable
shoulder to cry on last night.  I really like him, too.  I’m curious what the
future holds for us. Wait, you’re seventy-one? What’s your secret? I hope I
wear my age as well as you do when it’s my turn.”

I type in a response to Mack:  I’ll hate it, but I’ll do
it.  I’ll have Aria access it and set all the wheels in motion.

Doc grins slyly.  “I’m not going to give up all my secrets,
but part of it is aerobics and stretching three times a week. One glass of red
wine daily, and only with meals. Keep the saturated fats low. Watch the carbs. 
And for a flat stomach? I’ve found the Backward Cowgirl with an exaggerated
lean rearward to be effective.” She winks at me. “If you can work it in with
the aerobics, remember to keep tension in your abs.  And if you can rock back
and forth…”

“Enough!” I clap my hands to my ears. 
I can’t hear this
from my boyfriend’s mother!  I’ll be in therapy for years!
 “It’s always
the quiet ones.  Who would have guessed that beneath that sweet country doctor
exterior pulses the heart of a tigress in heat?”

She beams at me. “You know it, girl. Now go get some alone
processing time, down time if you will.  You need it.  Doctor’s orders.”

“‘Down time’ she says.  From your lips to Horus’s ears. 
I’ve got too many brushfires to stomp out.”

Mack’s green light is blinking. If the question comes up,
no, I don’t want to be kept alive indefinitely on any damned machine or in one
of those TMOD sarcophagi. I’m already there, and Aria has strict orders to shut
it off if I am not better in three days. And the clock started with this coma
this morning. As far as my last wishes, don’t give Gorb all the chocolate at
once. I’m serious.

A light on the tube turns amber.  “He’s asleep.” Doc says,
“You can still send messages but his responses would be random gobbledygook as
his brain ‘takes out the garbage,’ as they say. 

“Would you like to meet your new staff member?”  She leads
me to a bed in another room.  Avi looks up and smiles at both of us as he hangs
the patient’s new IV bag.  “Ginny, this is Chief MacTaggert.  Sonia this is
Virginia Berry.  Dr. Took, are there any improvements?” she asks.  Ginny is
just this side of sleeping.

“Her fever is gone and she’s hydrating normally.” He looks
at me and explains. “She has a bit of hibernation sickness.  Not completely
unexpected, but still pretty rare considering her age.  Too bad we don’t have
her complete medical history.”

“I’m guessing there was something inside her sarcophagus,”
Doc opines, “Even the most astringent cleansers miss something every now and
again.  Given the temperature drop and the oxygen starvation, I would have
expected it to die, but it must be a tough little bug.”

As Virginia’s eyes flutter open, she tries to sit up.  Avi
pushes down on her shoulders.

“No you don’t.  You stay right where you are,” I tell her.
“They will let you know when to get up.  And you’ll probably wish you could
have stayed in bed.”

“We’ll need to keep her a little longer than expected.” Avi
says. “She should start physical therapy tomorrow to work the kinks out.  Two
days after that, she’ll be walking unassisted.  Two days after
that,
she’ll be spinning wrenches for you.  So…four days?”

“Good deal.  Keep me posted.” I turn to Ginny. “Make it five
days.  You’ll want one for acclimation, in-processing, settling into your
quarters, all that administrivia.”

“Yes ma’am, thank you,” she says.

When I get back to the LEO, I call Aria. I could have called
her from Medbay, but I wanted time to get my thoughts together.  “Mack Sinnair
has asked me to be the executrix of his will which he says you can access.  I
have consented.  I’m sure you’ll need his confirmation, but please access the
will as quickly as possible.  My biggest concern is his refusal to be kept
alive artificially.”

“Of course. We will go over it tomorrow. I will take care of
everything. You rest and get some processing time.  He told me in no uncertain
terms that he did not want to be kept alive unnaturally.”

“‘Rest’ I think I’ve heard of that.  I suppose you’ll inform
the Captain?”

“I will take care of everything.  Now rest, Sonia.”

I call Gorb in.  “If you haven’t heard, I’ve been named
Chief Engineer.  It doesn’t look like Mack has much more time.  If you want to
go by the Med bay to say goodbye, feel free to do so.”

Gorb’s face screws up in anxiety. “No!” he shouts and pounds
his hands on the desk, “No goodbyes! Goodbyes make me sad.”

Time to change the subject.
“Okay.  You’ve been
aboard longer than I have.  Can you tend the engines, and I’ll look after the
other things, or should we do it the other way round?”

“I work in Engineering and will do whatever Chief Shownya
says! If that’s engines, that’s okay.  ‘Gorb loves to help!!’ Everyone says it;
so it must be true.”
Is he crying?

“And Sonia likes to give Gorb puzzles.  And chocolate.”  I
hand him a piece of a candy bar and a twisted wire puzzle I got in the
recreation area. 

“Puzzles and chocolate!! Wheee!!!!” He bounds out of my
office with a huge grin on his face.

I wish I could get that happy from a piece of candy and a
few pieces of metal.  As he walks away, I ask my holoCom, “Yesterday started
out great; what the hell happened?”  I spend several hours learning what Mack did
on a daily basis.  Now I know why I never saw him.  My holoCom beeps. 

It’s time to go meet the rest of the department.