High Flyght – Chapter 3

My leg aches and my heart races as I stand in the airlock to greet Ken. I can’t even believe that I pulled out this dress and made up my bed before running down here. I slept poorly, tossing and turning next to Jinzo the whole night.

The pain killers could only do so much for me. Thank goodness the nanobandage covered up the mess and stayed busy all night stitching my skin back together. I only worry about it getting infected. Our supply of antibiotics is nonexistent. The basic first aid kits Skylar bought for the ship didn’t include them.

“Ken Mata is requesting permission to board the ship. Or maybe mount the captain is what he wants,” Ai, our ship’s AI, purrs from above me. It takes every gram of strength I have not to roll my eyes at her.

“Did Carlos tweak your humor protocols?” I don’t bother to look for her sensors. She’s everywhere.

“Carlos has left me to my own devices while he’s hacking into the datapad you brought to him.”

The dead datapad seemed the right task for my hacker crewmate, Carlos. Considering this is the stuff I pay him to do, he jumped at the chance to revive it and make it spill its secrets.

“I-I-I…” Ai chirps, and I narrow my eyes and look up at the ceiling.

The airlock door chimes and whooshes open.

“What did you say, Ai?”

“Nothing, Captain. I’m experiencing a data delay. Several of my backup storage drives have corrupted.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“Who are you talking to?” Ken ducks into the ship with a weary grin, and my world turns upside down. It wasn’t too long ago that I thought he was out of my life forever. I had broken up with him when he proposed, and my family convinced me he was no good for me.

Now, he’s back in my life in a significant way. Not only is he funding my illegal superhero seeds startup, but he’s also interested in being a part of my relationship network. He wants to start dating again, and the memory of his lips on my wrist the last time I saw him propels me forward.

I don’t answer his question (he’ll find out about Ai soon enough), but instead, I reach for him and wrap my arms around his neck. He hesitates for a moment before dropping his bag and returning the hug.

“Hey there. I’ve missed you.”

Two Vivians are living in my head at this moment. Cautious Vivian and Nostalgic Vivian are at odds with each other.

Nostalgic Vivian wants to kiss Ken right here and now. She’s interested in bringing back the past and proving to her mother that there’s nothing wrong with Ken. There’s never been anything wrong with Ken. He was always a good bet from the beginning.

Cautious Vivian, though, is wondering about the dirt Mom has on Ken. What could be so bad to have her still not want me to date him?

Nostalgic Vivian wins out when he pulls back and smiles at me. I remember the woman I was when we first fell in love, and it’s time to reconnect with her and try to find something left of her for Ken’s sake. She was quieter and kinder than I am now. She let Ken make the rules. She hardly ever got mad or challenged the system.

His dark hair shines in the dim light of the airlock, and that tiny dimple in his cheek creases as his smile widens. I reach up and brush my fingers on the stubble along his jawline. He sighs and catches my fingers in his.

“I must look terrible,” he says, breaking the spell. I was only a moment from leaning in to kiss him. “I’ve had a hell of a trip.”

He squeezes my fingers before letting go to lean over and grab his bag.

I blink out of my sex-induced stupor. I could’ve jumped him right there. He’s handsome in his button-down shirt and tight navy slacks. They’re both wrinkled like he’s been traveling for days, but I don’t care. He’s here. That’s all that matters.

“Where are my manners? You should come in and rest. Guess what? Frogger can’t wait to see you. He’s asleep in my quarters, but I’m sure you want to get cleaned up first.”

He sighs, and it’s ten fathoms deep. “Oh, I’ve missed that dog.” His smile is bittersweet. “Ugh. I booked first class on a shuttle from Palo Alto, but my reservation got misplaced, and I ended up in a tiny berth.” He saunters beside me, his gait slow and leisurely. “I almost delayed another two days until I could either get the slot I paid for or hire my own Flyght ship. But I wanted to get here sooner rather than later. I’m already later than I planned to be. The lawyers would’ve chained me to my desk if I hadn’t insisted I needed to leave.”

I nod and keep quiet as I lead him through the cargo bay. He’s fighting with his lawyers over a few different issues — animals on board Flyght ships, insurance and permit matters, and probably me. I’m a liability to his company with my Diamond Flyght license and free range to have whatever I want. The good girl inside of me wants to give the Diamond license back, but too many people depend on me now, and Ken wouldn’t take it back, anyway.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here. Next time, we’ll come to get you. I’m sorry we weren’t able to come this time.”

Ken is quiet as we make our way through the cargo bay. My onboard animals are all doing their usual daily activities. Hedwig is poking at the floor, looking for bugs that don’t exist. Poor thing. The chickens are so driven by instinct.

As we pass through the galley, Sally, the goat, is sleeping next to the stove. I don’t have the heart to send her back into the cargo bay. Lia, my animal keeper, will take care of her soon.

Ken’s head swivels as we walk past the stove.

“The ship is quieter than I expected it to be,” he says, his eyes peeled for anyone. “Is Marcelo around? I was hoping to see him on this trip.”

“He’s here in his shuttle, getting work done.” I didn’t tell Marcelo, my relationship broker, or Ken, about the black ops mission Jinzo and I accomplished last night. I need to talk about the seeds with Dad first. “I think Lia is still asleep. She was out all night with friends. Skylar is running simulations on the bridge, and she’s off to see her mom later. Carlos is probably in his den.”

“And Jinzo Lee?”

I can hear the curiosity in his voice. He wants to meet Jinzo as much as I want him to meet Jinzo.

“He’s here. In his room. Giving us our space.”

I knew this would be hard for Ken, harder than he let me believe it would be. We have a history together, but it was always just the two of us. Things will be different now. We can’t pick up where we left off.

We’ll have to start from a new beginning.

I thread my arm through his and smile at him, trying to ignore the pain in my leg. “Come on. I want to show you your investment.”

Instead of taking him to his quarters, I lead him to the auxiliary cargo bay, my grow room and office.

The lights are on, fans are circulating the warm, humid air, and the fish containers are burbling away. But the racks of green stretching a few meters long in three rows are the truly impressive sight.

Ken’s mouth opens to an O, and he sets his bag on the floor near the door.

“Wow, Viv. You’ve come a long way in three weeks.”

Yeah, I’m proud of this achievement, for sure, and my chest puffs with excitement. All of those years working on my second degree, perfecting my growing methods, the balance of nutrients and minerals… All of it has finally paid off.

“The first batch of lettuces are almost ready for harvest,” I say, following behind him as he walks down the first aisle. “I’m growing those to help feed the crew and to keep anyone at Customs from being suspicious. Plus, they help maintain our carbon dioxide levels. Skylar is pleased. The scrubbers should last two, maybe three, times as long as they usually do.”

Ken drags his fingers along the trays as he peers down into the green expanse.

“Which seeds did you decide to grow first?”

“Of my dad’s?” I turn and point to the next row. “The Happy Flower so we can make the hot sauce.”

His lips twitch, and he silently pumps his fist. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“Well, as an investor in this operation, I thought you would approve.”

“I do.”

“These are the Prescient Dreams berries. I can’t believe how fast they grew. The berries are just peeking through.” I walk along the length of the row. “Standard chili peppers. An heirloom tomato variety I was working on my last year of school. More lettuce, bib and red leaf. Then this row is the Sexy Flower, TDZFL2, the Telekinesis Ivy, ISLTC3, the Invisibility Fern, ZBINRB, plus herbs like basil, oregano, cilantro.”

I turn around, and Ken is stunned into silence. I take that as a good sign.

“Over here,” I say, pointing to an area on the far wall that has its own lighting and heat system that Jinzo set up, “I’m growing the few things I think will do better in soil. RLH7T8, the anti-aging potato, and C6K00E, the shapeshifting carrot, are both root vegetables, and soil will encourage them to grow larger. Plus MN11TB, Music tree. I sprouted these prior to planting them.”

I squat down and run my fingers over the tops of the fuzzy greens. I can’t wait to see what they look like.

“This is amazing,” Ken says, joining me. He reaches out to touch the plants in the next pot over like I did. We both gasp as the small, leafy tendrils lean towards his fingers.

He jerks his hand away, so the plant relaxes back into its upright position.

“Did you see that?” Ken’s voice is full of awe.

“Yeah.” My heart has lodged itself in my throat. “It never does that with me.”

We stare at each other, and then my curiosity gets the better of me. I jerk my head at the plant.

Ken folds his legs under him and sits cross-legged instead. He brings his hand back to the plant, and this time the plant responds immediately, like a lover leaning in for a hug. It stretches towards his fingers as he draws closer and closer. The two meet, and Ken smiles.

“It’s like a pet. What is this one?”

I inhale a shaky breath. “This is Y6203Q. I don’t know much about it because the notes were sparse. It’s a flowering tuber plant, like the anti-aging one. This one produces ‘heightened empathy.’ Dad described it as being telepathic of another’s emotions.”

I watch the two interact like they’re the best of friends, and the scene first excites then chills me. This is a plant, not an animal.

But we don’t understand how the plants and animals on Rio evolved. They were all there when we arrived, and our interactions with them are so new. Three hundred years is barely a blip on a multi-millennium timeline.

Voices bounce off the walls of the aux cargo bay, and Ken and I look up. Carlos and Jinzo are deep into a tech conversation by the time they enter and see us.

“Oh! Sorry, Captain. Didn’t mean to interrupt.” Carlos’s mouth opens and closes a few times as he glances at Jinzo.

Jinzo snaps out of his thoughts, smiles, and strides forward. Ken scrambles off the floor to meet him. They both clasp hands, and I hold my breath.

“You must be Ken. I’m so sorry to interrupt you two. I thought you might be in the galley. It’s good to meet you.” Jinzo pumps Ken’s hand. “I’m Jinzo Lee.”

Their hands swing up and down, up and down, up and down, and my held breath tugs at my chest as they assess each other.

“It’s good to meet you too. I —” Ken glances around, trying to dispel any awkwardness. He’s only barely succeeding. “I think we’re heading to the galley next, but Vivian wanted to show me her progress with the plants.”

“They’re coming along well, don’t you think?”

Ken relaxes back on his heels. “I’m amazed. Really. It looked nothing like this a few weeks ago.” He smiles at me, then clears his throat. “Hey, so I saw the videos from Rio. What you did for Vivian? I think my heart stopped five times just watching it.”

Jinzo shrugs. “Couldn’t let her be eaten by a giant squid now, could I?”

“No. Though I’m sure she’d be a tasty meal.”

“Without a doubt,” Jinzo says with a devious smile.

I let out my lungs with a laugh.

Carlos guffaws, and I shake my head. They’re both trying to be friends right away, even though the first meetings are usually inelegant and tough. But these two are already making slightly sexual jokes about me. That feels wrong somehow. Probably a feeling I should get used to. Who knows what it’ll be like when there are more than the two of them exchanging barbs about this subject.

Jinzo grabs his tool bag from under one of the growing trays. “Anyway, Carlos picked up some new sensors so we can control most of this stuff remotely through a back door in Ai.”

“A back door I thoroughly approve of,” Ai chimes in.

Ken’s head swivels up.

“Hello, Mr. Mata. I’m Ai. Please let me know if there’s anything that you need. I can help you with any of the controls in your room or direct you if you get lost. I’m also well versed with all the good restaurants in town, and if you need a sex toys shop, I have a favorite.”

Ken’s eyes grow by two sizes.

“Ai!” Both Carlos and I growl.

Jinzo clasps Ken on the shoulder. “You get used to her after a while.” He drops his voice. “And she really does know the good sex toys shops.”

I could die. Ken swallows as he tries to pull on a smile. It flits into existence before fading away fast. Oops, this was too intimate too fast.

This is not the reception I was hoping for. Ken is tired. He’s out of his element, and I’m not sure it’s a good thing.

“Nothing like being thrown into the deep end on your very first day,” he says, chuckling and shaking his head.

Okay. A good sign. He just needs to find his footing, and everything will be fine.

“Guys, I’m going to take Ken to his room so he can rest.” I approach Ken, but I think better of touching him or showing physical affection because Jinzo is right there. But maybe this is not a big deal? “He had a long trip, and we have a dinner and drinks planned tonight.”

Once I move again, the gash on my leg smarts. I wonder what Ken will think when he sees it? My body heats with the anticipation of intimate time with him. Now that I’m no longer in a sex drought, the memories of our past together are sharper, and I’m ready to expand on them. Hopefully tonight after our night out.

“Your bunk is two doors down from mine,” Jinzo says, bending over to grab a tool from his bag. “Let me know if you need help finding anything.”

“Sure. Yeah. Thanks,” Ken responds. “See you guys later.”

I gesture back out of the aux cargo bay to the crew quarters and lead Ken to his room. The door slides open, and the lights come up to a soft glow on the sparse room.

“I hope this is enough space for you,” I say, leading the way in. “I’m sure you must have some palatial apartment in Concord City…”

My back is to the door when it whooshes closed, and I turn to find Ken unhappy, slumped in disappointment.

“This is my room?”

Uh oh. The tension coming off Ken is as thick as a summer’s night on Rio.

“Yeah. I thought you’d like it. It’s far enough from the galley that it’ll be nice and quiet, and I personally think the bed in this room is soft and comfortable.”

I plop my butt on the bed and bounce a few times, hoping to elicit a grin from him.

Nope.

I fold my arms over my chest. Happy Vivian takes a backseat to Blunt Vivian, and she is done pussyfooting around.

“Okay, what’s wrong? Something’s up with you, and we’re not getting off to a great start here, though I’m happy you and Jinzo have made good first impressions.”

His eyebrows climb up. “This is… I’m still not used to this Vivian.”

“This Vivian?”

“Yeah, one of your many Vivians you have behind closed doors.”

“Are you hoping to find twenty-one-year-old Vivian? The one who held her tongue through every one of your late-night casino runs and drunken buddy weekends?”

He sighs and grabs his bag. “I’m not that twenty-two-year-old asshole anymore either.” He tosses the bag on the bed next to me. “But I am the twenty-seven-year-old business executive who addressed an entire room of lawyers this morning about what getting involved with you will do to my bottom line. I feel like everything is a fight lately.”

“Me? What do I have to do with Flyght?” The heat in my cheeks turns icy cold.

“You’ve been ignoring the news, haven’t you?” He unzips his bag and pulls out a stack of clothes and a garment bag.

When I don’t answer, he blows a swift breath through his teeth. “Well, you might not be the twenty-one-year-old Vivian I knew, but you haven’t changed. You always stick your head in the sand when stuff like this happens.”

I rise to my feet. “There’s no need to subject myself to gossip over and over. I know what they’re saying about me… I just don’t know how much they’re saying.”

Ken is quiet as he unpacks, and my heart sinks in dismay. My mom doesn’t want us together. His lawyers don’t want us together.

Is this relationship already doomed?

No. This can’t happen. I felt the spark reignite when he laid his lips on my wrist. I saw the desire in his eyes, and my body yearned for him.

We can make this work. I know it.

I soften my tone. “Well, you’re here. You could have turned around. You could have delayed.”

“I want to be here, Viv. I’m struggling with what I want and what others want for me. It’s… complicated. You have no idea what the last few years have been like for me.” He turns around to face me, and I’m surprised by the unreadable emotions on his face. I used to be able to read him so well. Is he angry or sad? “I need some time to get used to this new you. And if I’m being honest…” He approaches, and my body tenses in anticipation. His eyes are dark and intense, and I imagine his body up against mine. Mmmm.

He slides straight past me to the door, opening it and gesturing at me. “I thought we’d be spending this trip together, in one room. We used to share a bed, but I see things are different now.”

Ken jerks his head at the door. I’m expected to leave. My heart breaks as I make my way out.

“Let me get some rest, and we’ll talk again later,” he says, following me to the doorway.

I turn to say something, something nice, something comforting. Like, I would share my room and bed with him, but it didn’t seem fair. Or that I’ve missed him, and I can’t wait to spend time with him again, just the two of us.

The door zips closed before I can even open my mouth.

“That didn’t go well.”

I jump at Jinzo’s words. He’s leaning against the doorframe of his own bedroom.

“I… I, uh.” I raise my hand to gesture at Ken’s door, but I let it fall against my side.

Jinzo approaches me carefully. “Vivian, it’s not your fault. I’ve heard it’s hard for some men, most men, to go from a single-pairing relationship to a network.” He reaches for my hand. “It’s not because of anything you’ve done.”

“I’m not sure that’s it. I think… I think he just misses what we had, you know? Everything was much simpler before.”

I want to tell Jinzo about the news, the gossip swirling through the ether. The things people are saying about me that now threaten my relationship with Ken. But I’m sure Jinzo already knows. He doesn’t care.

“I promise he’ll come around. Give him some time to get used to it. I’ll talk to him later.” He tugs me away from the door. “Come on. I know just the thing that will get your mind off of this.”

His smile is seductive, and it’s an offer I can’t say no to. Not now with my ego shattered to a thousand pieces.

With my hand in his, I follow him to his room and put my conversation with Ken behind me.