“We’ll soon find out.”
It had been quite some time since we’d used the ramp to walk off the ship, and my legs were anxious to be off the moving vessel. I led the way toward the storage area, hitting the ramp trigger, and it lowered to reveal two men in a uniform not too far from ours. If ours was an Earth Defense uniform, these were the two-point-oh version. Where ours were gray, they wore black, with a new logo featuring a blue planet, EDU stitched underneath.
I raised an eyebrow to Mary and she looked down at our uniforms, me feeling a little out of place suddenly.
The two guards were young, one man and one woman. We walked down the metal ramp, and they stood there watching us with wide eyes.
“It is you,” the brown-haired man said, hardly audible in the large hangar.
“And you’re you.” I stuck my hand out, shaking both of theirs, one after the other. The rest of our group followed suit, and we learned these two were Haley and Devon.
“The Hero of Earth. I had your poster on my wall,” Devon said.
Poster? “Wait, what?” I stammered.
Slate’s ship settled down across the hangar, and he beamed out of it. Quite the show. His long strides allowed him to cross the distance quickly.
He smiled at the others, the girls hugging the big guy, and Nick gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. He didn’t look me in the eyes, but he said, “I’m sorry, boss.”
I turned to stand right in front of him. “I don’t blame you for anything. Let’s see what all this is about.”
“General Chen wants to see you. Follow us,” Haley said, turning on her heel to walk us away from the hangar.
Nick and Clare walked just behind Mary and me, Slate bringing up the rear. Soon we left through a large doorway and were in a hall with what looked like polished concrete floors and composite walls. Definitely more style to it than the Deltra station we’d seen.
Other uniformed people walked by, some ignoring us, some openly staring. I just smiled at them all, wondering what the hell was going on.
“Right this way,” Devon said, his arm suggesting we walk into a room without him.
“Thanks, you two,” Mary said to the young guards.
We stepped forward, the doors sliding to the side with a soft hiss. The room we entered was a large office, and an older man sat behind a black marble table in the middle of the space, chairs placed all around with room to seat twenty or so.
He motioned us in, standing up and walking toward us with a big smile across his lined face. “If someone had told me the five of you would be showing up on my doorstep, I’d have bet my life it would never happen. Shows what I know.”
“Who are you?” I asked, apparently breaching some protocol, judging by his surprise at my question.
He looked serious, then started to laugh. “I’m General Chen. William Chen. I suppose you’re curious just why we have a station here, and how so much has changed since you left.”
“What we don’t understand is how you did all of this in such a short period of time,” Clare said.
He laughed again. “Yes, I suppose seven years is a quick turnaround to build this, but with the new technology, and the world working together for it, we had it operational in five.”
My stomach flipped. The room was suddenly far too warm as my pulse raced. Deep breath, deep breath. Clare flopped onto a chair, her face drooping, tears falling down her face. Slate stood as stone-faced as his namesake, and Mary looked far too calm as well. Nick just seemed confused by it.
“Are you telling us we’ve been gone for seven years?” Nick asked, sliding into the seat beside Clare and putting an arm around her shoulders.
“That’s right. We have a lot to discuss. What of the hybrids?” he asked, and finally looked around as if realizing someone was missing. “Mae?”
I shook my head, to which he nodded, understanding what I meant by that.
“Before we get into this, what’s happening down there? Are we under any new threats?” Mary took over.
“None we haven’t faced before. Watch.” He hit a button on the table and a projector lowered, flashing a video on the white wall at the left end of the room. He motioned for us to have a seat; someone came in, bringing waters and coffee. It was like being at a meeting with one of my larger clients. If a bar graph showing projected sales had been brought out on a slideshow, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
I took a sip of black coffee while the video started. It was news coverage, dated at the bottom. Within six months of us leaving, and the colony ship with Magnus, Nat, and Carey also gone, the world was in turmoil. China teamed up with the US and other world powers, and they forced a treaty on the rest of the world. Most joined without complaint. Others fought it. Images of the dead in the Middle East flashed on the screen, and I watched, not letting myself look away. In the meantime, a second wave of colonists was sent, about a million in total.
Two years later, the world was in a much better place, though still assaulted by the odd threat or bombing. Eventually, they became less and less, the penalties harsh to anyone not playing their part in world peace. We saw a speech by Dalhousie five years after we left, saying anyone could go to Proxima with the third wave, which would be a whole fleet of vessels if needed. She looked older than she had, tired. Her voice had lost the lift and hope, but her eyes still shone with pride.
The newscast showed us two dozen vessels leaving; over half of Earth’s remaining population was heading for Proxima, which they were touting as Eden. Images of Eden overtook the screen and I was leaning so far forward, I nearly slipped off my chair. It was gorgeous. Lush grass covered rolling hills alongside crystal-clear lakes.
Mary reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it.
We saw the creation of the station, where exploratory ships docked and new technology was tested in space. It was a massive undertaking, and more than impressive in its vast scope.
A priest was interviewed in one segment, spouting out some new religion. It was a little off-putting, but he appeared to have a lot of support. A camera flew over fields all over the world, showing healthy crops. Stats of world hunger being under one percent crossed the screen. Poverty didn’t exist, everyone had access to clean water, and illness was way down.
“This is amazing,” Nick said, eyes gleaming as they showed some state-of-the-art hospitals around the world.
“No sign of the Bhlat?” I asked, looking for a reaction from Chen. He sloughed off the question with a wave of his hand, and I didn’t like that one bit.
“I still can’t believe you’re all here.”
A mural panned onto the screen, a reporter interviewing people on the anniversary of the Event. People were crying, remembering their losses. The mural was of Magnus, Natalia, Mary, and me. Of course, they’d left out the hybrid that helped us.
Then they talked about losing us on our wild goose chase of Leslie and Terrance. It was surreal to see people speculate on what had happened to us, and then debate on the value of us even going on that journey.
It was a barrage of information for missing seven years, but for the most part, I was impressed with the state of our new world. I was also happy to know the colony was doing well. Seven years. My pup Carey might not even be with us any longer, and if he was, he was an old man. I’d only had him for a year but felt like part of me was intertwined with him. That I lost that time to spend with him was heartbreaking.
“Do we have contact with the colony?” I asked.
“It takes about a month to relay the messages.”
I nodded, accepting this as reality.
“What do you think?” Chen asked, a glimmer in his eyes.
“I can’t wait to see one of those hospitals! You really found a way to reverse cancer cells?” Nick was almost dancing in excitement beside the table.