Chapter Five

I really did hope Steve was right. We talked a little about things until early morning. The pizza was done and devoured in minutes. Steve ate one all by himself, and so did I. Alli picked apart one, and then Steve and I finished it.

“I’ve never seen you eat so much,” she said. “Like ever.”

“Side effect, Steve said, “From travel.”

“Shave any fat off?”

“Of course, if you’ve no stores to take, ie, sugar or carbs, it will eat anything it can get its hand on while you move.”

“That sounds like every woman’s dream come true.”

I had to laugh at that. As she then went to pick up another slice of pizza.

“Alli,” Steve said and he looked at me. “If we leave here, we’re not coming back.”

She swallowed the pizza quick, but garbled out. “What do you mean?”

“What’s coming for Earth can’t be beaten. It will integrate with the planet. It will take over everything you love and know. We can’t be a part of that. We have to reach the other races and prepare for the fact humans are coming into this war.”

“What about my friends, my brother.”

“Your brother would likely tell everyone he knew, and then we’d have 1000 people at the door.”

“He wouldn’t,” she said. “He has no friends.”

“What about those he was with tonight?”

“More than likely, Hafi is his only friend. He’d have probably just called in favor of the others. Or paid them.”

“So what are you saying, you want to bring with you, Chris, and Hafi?”

Alli nodded, and I could see the strain in her mind. Her parents, my parents. Even Steve’s there just wasn’t the time. “I’m not letting you leave me here,” she said, then her voice cracked. “Please don’t leave me here.”

I couldn’t help but pull her into my lap. “This is a lot bigger than all of us. We can’t stop it.”

“I know, but I can be with you if you die. I die.”

“Alli.”

“It really might come to that,” Steve said. “There’s no guarantee I can put the ship back together in time, even with Jen’s help.”

“Do you need more help?” Alli asked. “May—”

Steve cut her off. “What I need is my crew awake. They can do all the labor. We can’t take anyone else, I’m sorry. Even taking you wasn’t on the cards.”

Alli looked horrified and I just squeezed her to me. “You wouldn’t have just left me would you?”

“Don’t hate me for saying this,” I whispered and Steve looked away. “But if I had no choice, and you could live a life safe on Earth, even without me. Yes, I would.”

Alli threw her arms around me and I just held her. “I love you,” she said. “I hate you, but I love you.”

When her eyes met mine and her lips touched mine. I kissed her, and finally she settled. “I get it,” she said. “I do, this is fast, so fast.”

Watching Alli’s resolve straighten her back, and wipe her face of emotion she looked to Steve again. “What exactly do you need to wake them, and how much?”

“This would be their list,” it flashed up. “It would take Kade and I a few hours. We need to fix several systems. They’re complicated, but Jen’s good at teaching.”

“Jen can guide me then too,” Alli said. “That makes another set of hands, right?”

Steve reluctantly nodded. “Correct.”

“Add in Chris and Hafi,” I said.

“That would more than double our chances.”

“What about the guys that were with him?” I risked. “Do you think they could make it even better? Could Jen manage to talk all of us through this?”

“You don’t even know who they are?”

I can ask my brother. See what he thinks. Maybe call in some others if they’re no good.”

“No, no,” Steve stood. We don’t have time for this.”

“We have time. Alli stood. “It’s almost breakfast time at the hotel if we walk over.”

“You don’t want me to drive?”

She looked at the empty beers. “You don’t drink that much either. So no, you’re not driving. If you clear it out of your system, we can drive it back. Or we’ll get in with my brother.”

“One in each car; you know how big those lads were, right.”

Alli laughed. “My brother has been training all his life for that role. Of course, I know.

Let’s walk,” I said. “You can call him. Explain some of this before we get there.”

“No one monitors your calls, do they?” Steve asked.

“No, not a chance.

“Then that’s good. Call him.” Steve said. “But let me know his honest opinion of his friends.”

“I won’t lie to you.”

That was good. I knew if she said it, she wouldn’t.

“Do we need anything out of the apartment?” I asked Steve.

“I don’t know, do you? If there’s something you want, bring it; you might not get another chance.”

Alli ran off and started throwing a few things in a bag. I followed her. “You really okay with this,” I said as she shoved some clothes into a bag.

“No,” she said. “But… our parents both yours and mine. Well we’ve all had our differences. I might not get to see them to say goodbye, but I hope that we can save them, you know?”

“I do,” I said and I swallowed. Pulling out some of my own things. I didn’t have a lot I wanted to bring, my phone had lots of memories. But on the bedside set of drawers was one thing I knew Steve had to see and I had to take with me. A picture of us at my thirteenth birthday two weeks before the fair.

“We need to move,” Steve said poking his head through the doorway.

“That’s it.” Alli said, “that’s all I want to bring.

“Good. Me too.”

We both had a backpack full, but it wasn’t overfull.

Alli went to the fridge and cupboards. “We might not get anything to eat like this ever again, right?” On Steve’s nod she dumped the contents of our chocolate drawer and protein shelf into it.

I took the few things I thought she couldn’t get in. Then a couple of energy drinks out of the fridge. I handed her one and Steve.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“I never had one of these either,” he said.

“Yeah, that’s a shame. You’ll be buzzing or throwing up.”

“Throwing up,” he said more than likely.

While we walked, I drank the energy drink, and Steve popped his, But he gagged. “Do you like this stuff? “

“Yeah,” I said. “You don’t.”

“Not at all. It’s vile.”

I drank mine down, though, and opened a chocolate bar, handing him half. Try this.

Steve knew what it was and wolfed it down. “That’s pretty amazing.”

“I know, the local brands have extra protein in they’re great.”

While we ate the rest and I drank my energy drink. We listened to Alli talking to her brother. In the next breath, she came to my side. “Chris wants to talk to you.”

I sucked in a breath. “Hey,” I said and took the phone off her. “We’re getting dressed now,” he said.

“We.”

“Me and Hafi.”

“You trust him?”

I heard him cough. “I love him,” he said. “Then added. Alli doesn’t know.”

“I had no idea.” I replied.

“It’s recent,” he said. “But I’m not leaving him either.”

“The others.”

“They’re good guys. We can trust them. But I don’t know if they have any other family, they’d want to stay behind for.”

“Do you think you can give them a choice without blowing it?”

“Yes.”

“What if they want to go home.”

“Then I’ll let them I won’t say a thing. Are you really sure we won’t be back. Ever.”

“No, I very much doubt it.”

“So any kind of pay?”

“No.”

“We’d be risking our lives?”

“If you stay, you’re risking your lives even more.”

“I get that.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to them. We’ll either all meet you at the breakfast bar or just me and Hafi.”

“Deal.”

I hung up and I turned to Alli

“You were right; just Hafi coming.”

“Did he tell you anything specific?” She asked.

“What kinds of specific.” I fished.

“He’s gay, isn’t he?”

I smiled at her. “You knew?”

“I’m not dumb. He’s twenty-one, prime of his life, and he’s not once brought a girl home.”

“No one said anything to him, asked?”

“No, I never want to make him feel bad for it. He’d say when the time was right.”

“I’m sure he was just waiting for the right time,” I said, and hugged her.

“So your gay brother, his friend, and maybe the others?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, if they will agree to never ever come back here.”

“Tough one.”

Yeah, I have no idea if they’ll agree to it.”

“We’ll soon see.”

For the next ten minutes, we walked in mostly silence. Steve though he never shut up. It was hilarious, and Alli answered every question, from cars to electric cars, to bikes and newspapers not being in shops anymore. Everything was digital. That was different for him. Apparently, there was a main system for his friends’ species. But not as open as the internet, just his species.

When we got to the hotel. Chris was standing there with Hafi.

This time when we approached, Chris moved in front of me. He crossed his arms over his chest, and I could only stare at those muscles… I swallowed and looked up at him. “You really mean we can’t come back. This job’s that special.”

I nodded. “Shall we go eat and talk just a little?”

“Foods good,” Steve said. “Make the most of it.”

Chris moved to his sister. “I want to talk to you,” he said.

Alli put her hand on his, looking up at him. “I know,” she said. ‘I love you, and I know.”

Chris then waved Hafi over to us all. “This is Alli,” he said to the other burly man. “My sister and her fiance, Kade. This is Steve, Kade’s old friend. Everyone, this is Hafi, my boyfriend.”

Hafi grinned at that. “How does that feel?” he asked and moved to kiss the side of his face.

“It feels good to finally say it to family, friends.”

I held my hand out. “Chris, Hafi, good to have you with us.”

Steve did the same. “I hope you like flying,” he said.

“Not really; Hafi frowned and shivered. “But I’d do anything for Chris, including flying.”

I looked at his sister. What had she actually told them? They weren’t going to believe any of this, were they?

We ate; well we all watched Chris and Hafi eat almost the whole menu. “They’re going to be a problem on the ship,” Steve mumbled to me.

“In what way?”

“I’m not sure we can keep up with their nutritional needs. They are huge guys.”

“Yes, they are. Is there anything we can bring with us to help?”

“Meat?”

“Alli,” I said. “Think we could add a few frozen cows to that order?”

She thought about it for a while before she spoke up again. “I can sort it and get it there in time. But it will cost a bit more. It’s also not frozen, can you—”

“Jen can sort that,” Steve said. “Won’t be the first time we’ve put food in stasis.”

I saw Chris and Hafi’s exchange looks, but she just waved them off.

“You fit us all in one car?” Alli said.

“Where to?”

“Back where you came last night to find us.”

“No, that’s a fair way, you’ve got rucksacs, and the car boot has got some of our gear from the gym. Changes of clothes.”

“Do you need anything else?” Steve asked, “that might complicate our timeline.”

But both guys shook their heads. “If you can provide the basics, we’re good. Everything we need is with us most of the time.”

“What kind of gear’s in the boot?” I asked.

“Haif sells protein bars,” Chris said.

“Good, we can take those with us.” I said.

“That’s shop stock.”

“I don’t think they’ll worry about that. I’ll send them the funds where we’re going.”

“Okay,” Hafi said. “I can deal with that. At least if I do come back, I won’t get arrested.”

I laughed.

“We can squeeze into going back for our car,” Alli said.

It really was a squeeze too.

We didn’t fit at all. But we managed, Alli across both Steve and my lap.

“I’m sorry,” Steve said.

“What for?”

“I feel like I’m in places I shouldn’t be.”

“You’re fine,” Alli said, “really.”

We were out and in her car, and she was driving this time while we talked. She set up a call to Chris so we could talk car to car through the speakers, he and Hafi has all of us laughing at Chris’s antics over their first few dates.

“I never knew my brother could be so damn cute.” Alli said.

“I like him like that,” I added.

She beamed at me, and it lit my heart too. There was no way I couldn’t have brought her or them.

When we arrived at the car park, a couple of pallets of stuff had already been delivered.

“How are we going to do this?” I asked Steve.

“I think I’ll have to go in first, and open the gate. I can bring it to those doors?”

“Will that work if you can drag it to the doors?”

Hafi looked about. “There’s no pallet truck.”

“We’ll get one off the next load,” I said. “I’ll buy it off them if I need to.”

I did need to buy it. They weren’t going to leave it. Fortunately, Hafi was quite the charmer; they parted with it for a box of high-quality protein bars and enough extra pointers in their local gym that they were grinning and laughing all the way back to the wagon. I wished we could have kept those bars, but needs must.

I got the first pallet on just as Steve came out the doors. I mean, I came out.

“I’m going to need more pizza,” he said and frowned.

“I don’t…”

He really frowned. “I know, but damn, I’ll never forget today.”

“How do you think we should do this? With the pallets?”

“We’re all going to be starving after this.”

“I think you and Alli can go through twice. I can do a couple more I’m used to it, but those two. He pointed to Chris and Hafi. I will say once until we see how much energy it takes off them.”

“Fair.”

“They can go through first, then if they recover… we have three more pallets to come yet,” Alli said.

“Yeah, We’ll have to push it to get them on.”

“Just eat as much as you can when you cross.”

“Everything in sight?” Alli asked.

“Everything you can,” Steve added. “I mean it.”

Alli laughed, “it can’t be that bad….”

She watched as Hafi loaded the first pallet truck up. So did Chris. “One in, and I’ll follow, then I’ll come back once he’s settled. Okay?”

“All we can do.” I said.

“Settled?”

“You have no idea what’s on the other side of that door.”

“Can’t be bad?”

“I’ll be back soon as I can,” Steve said. With that, he and Hafi went with two pallet loads.

We waited. And it took a long while for him to come back.

“Is he okay?” Steve just loaded two more pallets up fast.

“He’s scared, he want’s Chris. He’s okay, but I’m going now. You’re next, Alli.”

“Scared?”

“Yes.”

We watched them leave, and then two minutes later, he was back. “So fast?”

“We have to move.” he said. “The portals destabilising.”

It was just then that the next truck came in. Alli and Steve vanished, and the truck was unloaded. They needed the time to eat. I knew they did. It seemed forever till Alli came back.

The trucks had gone. We got two more loads ready. “Steve’s not so good.” She admitted.

“He will be, though, right?”

“Yes, I guess.”

“Just one at a time, then” I said, “For a bit.” I looked at the remaining pallets not sure if we could do this.

“Agreed,” she said. “Lets go, faster.

We did just that. I tag-teamed with Alli until we had the last of them. She did more than she should have, and so did I.

I fell over on the pallet as I dragged it inside the hanger Steve had directed us all to.

We all exchanged looks. Chris and Hafi held hands. And I moved to Alli. “You okay?”

“I’m okay. We’re all okay.” She nodded at Chris.

“We are okay.” He said. “I admit this wasn’t what I was expecting. Not at all.”

“I know,” I turned to Steve. “Will the system?”

“Yes,” he said. “They’ll have gone through their first change like you did.”

“Have you seen this,” Hafi said. “My IQ, my body stats.”

Chris laughed. “Have you seen mine?”

Hafi looked him up and down. “Oh, I’ve seen it.”

Alli blushed when I looked at her. I could see these two were going to be fun to have around.

I looked at Steve. “You okay?”

“Tired.”

“Me too.” I said. “Me too.”

“We have to get this to the nanite bays; they’ll take it all apart and rebuild what we need; Jen can then instruct us as it’s made. Then we can get this thing safe and moving for real.”

“How far is the nanite bay?” Chris asked.

“Only across the hall,” Steve said. To his thank fuck.

We took that in turns too. He said the last two pallets with the meat need to go down Engineer Bay 2. “You want to come with me while Alli and the others rest.”

I nodded.

By the time we got down there this time, Steve really was exhausted. He fell over in front of me, and I nearly ran him over with the truck and pallet.

Helping him out of the way, I shoved some protein bars at him, and we both sat and ate while Jen took care of the pallets. Her robot helpers were cool. I’d never seen anything like these move around. The best thing though, they were fast.

“They’re amazing,” I said. “They’re very helpful, but they can’t go and do the welding outside.”

“Just won’t work. A bit too technical if something goes wrong.”

“Can I do it? You’ll need to rest.”

“No.” Steve said.

Jen appeared then. She wasn’t what I was expecting. A shorter woman, covered in tiny down white and brown speckled feathers. “None of us are good if you are dead. Kade can do it.”

‘There you go,” I said. “You have your orders, and I have mine.”

“You can’t let her boss you about,” Steve said his voice stern. “She’s still a computer.”

“She looks like a very smart computer,” I replied.

Jen smiled at me. “Thank you for noticing. He never does.”

“I do,” he said. “But you’re always so bossy. You never let me live.”

“You always push yourself. If you—”

“If I didn’t do as I did,” he glared at her. “You and your crew would have died fucking years ago.”