A Dangerous Connection – Chapter 11

The café I’m meeting Skylar at is in the neighborhood I was squatting in on Teresa Terceiro. The place was always nice, the coffee and pastries fresh, and the staff friendly. I used to admire it from a distance and long for a day when I could afford a fancy coffee and pastry, maybe even a meal, instead of getting dirty water coffee from the convenience store down the street.

My how times change.

Now I have that luxury, and I’m looking forward to it again. Skylar is already there when I arrive, sitting at an outside table, a cup of coffee in front of her.

I wave and head over to her, grabbing a seat across from her.

“Hey there. How are you?” I ask.

“I’m good. And you?” She leans back in her chair and takes a sip of her coffee. “You look great! So different from the last time I saw you in the flesh.”

“Thanks. I am doing good. You look good, too.”

“Thanks. I’ve been working like a dog, but it’s been rewarding.” Skylar has kept me up-to-date on all she’s been doing, and I think it was because she was hoping to recruit me.

It was a sneaky plan, and I’m pretty sure it worked as she intended it to.

It’s been three months since we released Stella back into the wild, and I’m doing much better. I’ve been eating, sleeping, and recovering from my time on the run. The guys have been taking care of me, and I suspect they’re getting more than a little tired of it. They’ve been wanting me to work again, but I was on the fence about what to do. Maybe it was time to start a family? That’s what most people do. I thought I should do that, but they could tell I was still unsettled from not having a proper job. It’s true. I’m happier when I have direction in my life.

“Are you ready to start working again?” Skylar hides her smile behind her coffee cup. She pushes a croissant across the table to me, and I take a bite.

I sigh around the flakey mouthful. “Yeah. I think so. I’m… ready?” I tip my head side to side as I consider all the signs, then laugh. “The guys are driving me nuts, and I think they want me to get a job just so I’ll leave them alone.”

Skylar laughs, and I smile, too.

“Great!” she says, setting down her cup of coffee and rubbing her hands together. “I have a job offer for you.”

“Okay, let’s hear it, though I’m not sure about working for Athens Industries if you want to put me in an office or ship me off to the Californikus System. I’m not a good fit for the office, and my Spanish is horrible. Well, come to think of it, I’m a terrible fit for the office.”

Skylar rolls her eyes. “Not true.”

“Totally true. I would get bored and quit.”

“Well, the job I have in mind is definitely not boring. I was thinking of a job in the field.” She raises an eyebrow.

“Field work? I can do field work.” I pause for a moment. “Here on Rio? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

“Yes, but you’re perfect for this particular job.” She leans in, so I lean in. “As you know, Athens Industries is cataloging the alien life here on Rio so we can study it. Our goal is to find and protect as much of it as possible so the military can’t weaponize them against the populace.” She drops her voice even more. “You saw what Stella could do. There are other animals and plants here that…” She shakes her head. “They can do amazing things, Sora. Mind blowing things.”

I drop my voice, too. “What kind of things?”

Her eyes meet mine, strong, piercing. “Stop time, channel electricity… a lot of things.” She returns her voice to almost normal. “But you would need to sign a contract before we told you anything else.”

Stop time? Is she crazy?

But seeing the way she sips at her coffee and waits for my response, she’s telling the truth.

The truth is we know so little about Rio because it’s always been too dangerous to spend much time on the surface and in the jungles. This is the whole reason the floating cities exist.

I sit back. “You all have already done a lot of work in this area, and I’m very flattered you want me to join.”

“Is that a yes?”

I nod. “Yeah, I’m grateful to Athens Industries for everything you’ve done for me and my family. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead.”

Skylar’s face softens. “I don’t think that’s true. You’re strong, and you’re a fighter. You would have survived.”

I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so. I was a mess. I’m so ashamed of the way I ran from my network.” I turn my face to the window so I can’t see the pity in Skylar’s eyes. “I made horrible decisions, and I’m ready to make newer, better decisions.” Nodding my head, I turn my eyes back to her. A sweet smile has replaced the pity.

I’ve said the right thing.

“Well, I’m happy we did something for you, but I want to give you this job because I think you’re amazing and you have the skills to do it. You understand the planet and the people. What we’re fighting for. And you have friends and family who can help you. You’re not afraid of going anywhere to get the job done. It’ll be dangerous. It’ll be hard work. But you’ll have a team behind you and the support of the company.”

The excitement of this opportunity rises in my chest. Wow. I could actually make a difference. Me.

I exhale and smile. “Thank you. Truly. Thank you for this opportunity. I promise I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t.” She waves her hand at me. “Fuck it, it’s fine. You’ll start next week. The job comes with a luxury apartment, a stipend, and a big bonus, too. You’ll be set in no time.”

“Really?” Suddenly that ramp up time to start a family is not looking so long at all. Maybe we’ll even be able to see our families some time soon.

“Yes, absolutely.” Skylar takes a last bite of her croissant and sucks down her coffee like her life depends on it.

Okay, she leads a fast-paced life, I guess.

I finish my coffee quickly and stand up. “This is amazing, and I’m sure I’ll be ready in a few days. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Great. Keep in touch, and we’ll start you as soon as you’re ready.”

I leave the café with a spring in my step. This is the perfect job for me, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.

I can’t wait to get started.