Tears of Glass (The Jana Darren Saga Book 1) (4 page)

She allowed herself to sleep instead of setting an alarm. Upon waking, Jana ran a comb through her long brown hair and put it back up into a high, loose ponytail.
I don’t think I’ll chance looking in the mirror just yet
. There was no telling what she’d find.
If I look half as bad as I feel...

In lieu of full uniform, Jana chose a simple black t-shirt and grey PT shorts. She had to pull the strings extra right to keep them up; the clothes weren’t made for adults the size of pre-teens. Jana couldn’t remember the last time she’d donned non-regulation clothing. Even on leave she preferred not to wear civilian attire. Most of the time, she had to make it work with whatever she was given, but for PT clothes and non-uniform clothing, she had a sweet deal with one of the logistics officers for the Academy.

Somehow Jana managed to shuffle herself to the mess hall and snag coffee without incident. One large cup in each hand, she savored the warmth seeping through the thick plastic. Every hundred or so yards was an archway with a clock ticking away the seconds in standard military time, keeping pace like a heartbeat for the station. It was twenty minutes before shift change and the halls were much busier now. All around her buttoned-up soldiers clung to their coffee as if it were their lifeline.

I know the feeling.

The receptionist Jana needed to speak with was just settling in at his desk when she got to the office. It was a big, open waiting room right in the main hallway. Behind the circular desk was a narrower hallway that housed the administrators who handled all of the certifications and exams for the current military personnel at 311.

When she approached the desk, he looked up and eyed the coffee in her hands enviously. Jana beamed and handed him the full one.

“First shift is the worst.”

He looked about ready to kiss her, the way his eyes lit up. “You’re a life saver,” he whispered before taking a deep breath and inhaling the scent.

“I always bring an extra.” Jana pressed her hand against the touchpad on top of the counter and swiped her ID badge over the sensor. The machine beeped happily and a blue LED flashed momentarily.

“Okay...Lieutenant Darren,” the man said, looking down at the display in front of him. “Looks like you need to register for your certs. Weaponry, Mech Mechanics, Flight Maneuvers and Tactics, Emergency Procedures, and the routine Psych Exam.” He raised his eyebrows and smirked at the last one. It was a long-standing joke with soldiers.

“I can hardly contain my enthusiasm.”

“When would you like to take them? One at a time, or all at once?”

She took a sip of coffee and let it sit on her tongue for a moment before swallowing thoughtfully. “All at once, I think. Better to just get it over with.”

“Okay...” He trailed off, entering information in his system. “What day?”

Let’s see. Today is Tuesday. It shouldn’t be THAT bad. ”Let’s say Friday, around 0900.”

“Do you want the study prep material in hard copy, or are you okay with using the Net for it?”

“Have someone send over the materials to my quarters.”

“Alright, ma’am. You’re all set. We’ll see you back here on Friday. Have a good one, and thanks for the coffee.” He added, holding it up in gesture.

When she got back to her room, she sat down on the little couch and queued up the computer.

“Mail.”

ACTION REQUIRES IDENTIFICATION. PLEASE SPEAK I.D.

“Jana Darren.”

INPUT SERIAL NUMBER.

“2-2-7-8-4-3-6”

PLACE THUMB ON PRINT IDENTIFICATION PAD.

Unfortunately, military security protocol dictated that it was unacceptable for soldiers to store the information for a quick log-in. Jana placed her left thumb on the little rubber pad on the arm of the couch. The screen on the opposite wall flashed with her print for a moment before it disappeared again.

PRINT ACCEPTED. THANK YOU.

An animated neon flyer for a station costume party was advertised for later that week in the banquet hall.
Thanks, but no thanks
. Jana Darren and dancing were two things that should never, EVER be put into the same sentence.

INCOMING CALL.
Joey’s face smiled down at her from the opposite wall . He was a welcome sight.

“Accept.” The screen flashed momentarily, then switched to a live video feed of her best friend.

“Heyyy, how’s my girl doing?”

“I’m fine. I miss you, though.”

He grinned broadly. “Aww honey, I miss you too.”

“I’ve got certs on Friday.”

“You’ll do fine.” She hadn’t even told him what they were on. Jana wished she had half as much confidence in herself as he did.

“I’m not so sure. Everything’s different here. Starting all over again feels so weird.”

“I bet it does. Make any friends yet?”

“I’ve met a few people. None of whom you could really call friends, per se.” Jana knew
exactly
what he was getting at.

“You need to come out of your shell. None of what you pulled back when you came to the academy.”

“I was twelve.”

“So? Just promise me you’ll not be a wallflower. You’re amazing, and it’s time you let other people see that.”

Her cheeks felt hot in the cool air of her bedroom. “Joey...”

“And would you please hurry up and find yourself a guy? You aren’t getting any younger. You’re going to end up a spinster sitting alone talking to your vacuum.” Jana refrained from pointing out he was four years her senior and still wasn’t involved with anyone. “I’m gonna get some sleep. The test will go fine. Call me to celebrate.”

“Night, Joey.”

“Good night, sweetie.” The screen went black.

With the whole day ahead of her and nothing to do until someone brought over the files she needed, Jana bit her lip for a moment and considered what she was about to do.

“Search.”

ENTER SEARCH PARAMETERS.

“Miltary.” The blank screen changed to a list. White lettering read Results Found: 42,380,972,885. “Add current personnel.” The list reduced to a few hundred million. “Add Station 311 Military...add Special Operations and Field Tactics.” A few entries came up, but most of them read CLASSIFIED. “Add...” she struggled to find the right words to use. “Soldier Dossiers.”

CLASSIFIED.

“Damnit! Close search.”

Jana sat for a while in the dark, thinking about how pathetic she was. Was she a stalker now? Had it really come to this point?

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.

David stood outside, turning his head this way and that, examining his surroundings like he was wary of predators or something. He seemed almost surprised when Jana opened the door. She raised an eyebrow at him.
What the heck is he doing here?
He beamed down at her.

“Hi.” She greeted, smile plastered to her face.

“Hey. I uh...I just wanted to see how things went last night. Vacero isn’t exactly
warm.”

“Brevity really isn’t his thing.” Jana mused. She stepped aside and waved him into the room.
Might as well.

“So what did the old codger have to say?
ERM.
” He pretended to clear his throat and then scrunched up his face and deepened his voice. “
Miss Darren, I want you to know how pleased we are to have a woman of your caliber here with us, but you should know that all eyes are on you and your actions reflect on us.”
It was surprisingly close to the speech she’d been forced to suffer through, if a bit of a sad impression of the Colonel.

“Pretty much,” Jana replied dryly. She sat down in the middle of the bed and crossed her legs beneath her. David had already taken a seat on the black couch. “I have to take a bunch of qualification exams in a few days. I’m just waiting for someone to bring over the books I need to study from.”

“You went the old school route. You know, they have a bunch of the actual lecture videos on the Network you should be able to access in the meantime.”
Ooh. That could be helpful.
“Which classes? Anything I might be able to help with?”

Jana shrugged. “Mecha Mechanics.”

David’s face paled. “When are you taking this exam?”

“A couple days from now, but I’m not worried. I’m already a certified Mech pilot.” Jana yawned and rubbed her eyes.
I need another coffee.

“Jana, the Mecha Mechanics class is a required course for SPEAR members and TAMES. It’s not general stuff like, ‘this is how you turn it on and this is where the speedometer is.’ It’s
really
technical stuff. People transfer froms other stations as SPEAR members and fail this course, and
they
have experience with this stuff. Major Scott doesn’t screw around.”

“Okay...now I’m getting worried.”

“Let me show you.” He held his thumb to the pad on the arm of the couch and brought up the Network. He logged in by swiping his wrist over the sensor afterwards.
I need to remember to ask them about reassigning my chip.
It was a much more efficient way to get into the Net. David queued up the course video and pressed play.

Major Scott was the head of SPEAR and taught the class. It was immediately apparently he wasn’t used to teaching people who didn’t already know what constituted a “fluctuating fluid jet plasma hyperscope component.”

“What a charmer. I can’t imagine what he’s like at a cocktail party.” She scoffed, looking to David for approval. He gave her a stern look. She cowered a bit and returned her attention to the screen.

It felt like hours. In the middle of him explaining the difference between versions one and two, Jana’s head was spinning. When she closed her eyes, she could still see every line, dot and word on the diagram from the screen. It was burned into her corneas.
Great. At least now I won’t need a study guide.
She tried to stand and failed, spots crossing her vision. David grabbed her before she hit the floor.

“He sometimes has that effect on people.”

“I. Will. NEVER understand this.” She blinked a few times and breathed deeply.
So much work, and I shot myself in the foot by being too anxious to prove myself. You know better...

David glanced at his watch and back at her. He pulled out a small, thin plexiglass rectangle edged with soft black rubber. In a few seconds he punched in a couple commands and returned her gaze. “It seems my schedule has recently freed up for the next few days.”

Jana’s eyes widened and she felt her mouth drop open. Before David knew what was happening, Jana had already thrown herself at him in a giant hug. The force almost knocked him off his feet, but Jana felt his reluctant hands gently pat her back.
He’s so awkward. It’s kind of adorable. He’s like the male version of me.

“Okay, what don’t you understand so far?”

Is that a serious question? “Any of it.”

David laughed lightly. “Anything specific?”

Jana stopped chewing on her bottom lip and thought about it a moment. She crinkled her nose and pursed her lips in concentration. “Okay, yeah. What the
hell
is a fluctuating fluid jet thingy thing?”

“Basically, it’s just the weapons scope you see when you pilot a Mech. The one transferred into the viewing screen that sends the infrared images to you.” When his only response was a raised eyebrow, he clarified, obviously fighting back a smile. “You know...the little blue moving square that changes colors.” Her eyes lit, finally understanding.

This is going to be the longest three days of my life.

The room was big and mostly bare, but brightly lit.
Too brightly.
Two tables were set up in the room—one at the front where the proctor sat, and a small desk for herself. Windows were set high in the room, and greenish-white light poured in. It reflected off the glossy white panels of the walls and floor, creating the shimmery effect of being in a shallow pool of water.

Behind the table, the proctor was reading. She was an old woman with her hair tied back in a stiff bun. Jana greeted her warmly and flashed a smile. After all, this lady was stuck here as long as she was. Not only did she not smile back, the woman didn’t even look up from her apparently absorbing book.

The chair screeched, scraping across the floor. Jana flinched. The other woman didn’t even look up. It was difficult to scoot in far enough for it to be comfortable. Jana resigned herself to bunny hopping closer to the desk, hands gripping the sides of the seat.
It’s like a potato sack race, minus the race and the burlap.

Satisfied, Jana picked up the white stylus and twirled it in her fingers. A tablet was built into the desktop itself. Jana squinted through the glare, trying to shade the tablet with her left hand.

“You can begin when you’re ready,” the woman said without looking up. This woman was soo old, she might not even make it through the testing. A strong breeze would probably disintegrate her. Deep set wrinkled covered every inch of her paper-thin skin, and Jana could see the blue veins underneath.
She’d be a perfect live specimen for an anatomy class on the circulatory system, you can practically see through her.

Jana shifted in her chair, bent over. A few wisps of hair fell in front of her eyes, and she tried unsuccessfully to push them out of the way. Frustrated with not being able to see properly, she clicked a tiny button on the edge of the screen to angle it upward. The sun’s glare reflected directly into her face. Jana blinked away the stars and set to work.

This doesn’t look so bad. I’ll be out of here in no time,
Jana thought as she filled in the first answer. It was a combination of multiple choice, fill in the blank, essays, and diagram labeling. Something she hadn’t noticed before, in the corner of the screen was a tiny box that read “Page 1 of 572”. Jana dropped the tablet and put her hands to her face.
You have to be kidding me. I’m going to be here until I
die! Jana glanced up at the proctor.
There’s definitely no hope for her, though.

Nine hours later, an exhausted Jana sulked out of the testing room with a mind to crawl back and pour herself into bed, convinced she’d become a hunchback over the course of the day. Tomorrow she would get her results. Every muscle in her back and hands were stiff like they’d been welded in place. It horrified her to think of how she must look.

Jana resisted the urge to cry out and stamp her feet—if her body would even allow it. David was outside the room.

“I need a shower, a barrel of ice cream, and fuzzy slippers.” She groaned. There’s probably bags under my eyes, and my skin is all gross, and my feet hurt, somehow. And, and, I can’t feel my butt anymore. I’m pretty sure it fell off somewhere.

He looked her up and down.
Pity. He pities me. Oh god.
I am so done with today.
“You look like you’ve been put through the ringer. The shower you have to handle yourself, but I’m pretty sure I can handle the other two requests.
Oh you sweet, sweet man.
“Meet you in ten minutes?” Jana nodded. ‘By the way,” he whispered, leaning closer, “you know there are private officer washrooms hidden around, right?” He gave her quick directions and sent her on her way.

She found it easily enough. Jana swiped her wrist across the access pad; she’d had them change it over the day before so she could access the restricted officer-only areas. The door opened inward, and she was instantly loving it. The floor and baths were granite, all of the fittings were polished steel, and black sheets of glass blocked view of the baths. It was so
pretty
.

It didn’t appear to be occupied by anyone else, and that was just fine with her. They were set up like cubicles. She picked one and stepped around the glass wall. The bath was deep, and sunken into the floor. A curvy raised platform in the center of the large bath—too large for one person—was perfect to keep Jana from drowning in the goliath bathtub. Little pump nozzles lined the floor next to the water controls.

Perfect.
The water ran, filling the tub with scalding water and bubbles. Jana bent down, with much effort, and thrust a hand into the water to test the temp, and then adjusted the knobs. Peeling off her clothes proved exceedingly difficult, as they had glued to her skin with perspiration during her epic stay in the testing room. It looked unnaturally dark in there after that damned room, but it was pretty dim to start.

She lowered herself into the water and gasped; it was a little too hot but still felt
so
nice. Almost instantly the muscles in her body began to unknot themselves. A few minutes later, David’s head peeked around the corner, eyes squeezed firmly shut.

“Can I come in?”

Jana shook her head and pressed her hand against her temple. “You ask that after you’ve already come in. Yes, it’s safe.” She went back to work on the mountains of bubbles around her, taking some off the top of one the peaks and fashioning it into a bubble beard on her face.
You’re never too old for a bubblebath beard.

He opened his eyes and came the rest of the way inside her bath cubicle. “Hey, I had my eyes closed! Besides—“

“WHAT are you wearing?” She interjected. Instead of his normal uniform, David was wearing snug black pants and a tight red long-sleeved shirt with a shiny insignia on his breast. He looked down at himself and back up at Jana. She burst into laughter that startled him. “You’re a Redshirt!”

He handed her a pint of ice cream and a plastic spoon. “Everyone loves a guy with a sense of humor, right?”

When “The Fall of Civilization” happened—referred nowadays as just The Fall—and Earth was evacuated, many cultural icons of the time stuck in the hearts and minds of those who survived. Life for the human race made a dramatic change from entertainment oriented to just trying to survive another year. People clung to the glory days, hoping to one day get back to that point, and immortalized those icons.

Jana narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you dressed like that?”

“Before you say no...” Jana glared at him as he spoke. “I thought you could use some entertainment, maybe some cheering up...”

“David...”

“The station costume party is tonight. Will you go with me? Just as friends, of course.”

Ugh.
“I KNEW this came with strings!” she said through a mouthful of cold, delicious vanilla ice cream. “You tricked me!” She swallowed. “Besides, even if I wanted to, I don’t have anything to wear.”

Now he was glaring. He departed momentarily, then returned dragging a shiny metal suitcase. “I can’t believe you’d lie to me!”

Shit.
He really did think of everything. “Ignoring the fact that you snooped through my things in storage, it would be SO awkward to show up and not know anyone. I’d just be sitting there awkwardly in a corner being uncomfortable.” Joey’s last words came back to her.
Damnit. It’s almost like they’re in on this together.
“Fine...” she grumbled.

David grinned impishly. “Wonderful.”

Jana handed back the half-eaten ice cream and set to washing her hair. David asked about her exams. “I’d rather not talk about that, if it’s all the same to you. I’d rather worry about this party nonsense right now than something I have no control over anymore.”

When she was finished washing herself, David grabbed her a clean towel off the shelf in the back of the cubicle and handed it to her, head turned away and eyes closed. She accepted it and pulled herself out of the bath. Once the towel was firmly secured around her, she tapped his shoulder. He cleared his throat.

“Well you’ve got it from here, I think. I’ll be outside. I’ve arranged for your stuff to be dropped off at your quarters, so just pack it up and leave it here when you’re done.”

Jana snapped the clips open on the metal case and laid it out. She pulled the pieces from the case, still amazed David had found this. It took a while to get the matte black jumpsuit over her still-damp body.
Fuck!
She thought, panting after ten minutes of wrestling with the skintight full body suit.
At least the hard part is over.
Jana set to work attaching the rest of the pieces.

“Well don’t we make quite a pair,” David mused when she finally emerged from the bath area.

“The irony is not lost on me.” Jana’s hair was pulled back into a tight, high ponytail. Her side-swept bangs were clipped down so they wouldn’t get in her eyes all night. Under one arm she had a white helmet with black trimmings. “Let’s get this over with.”