Lost Flyght – Chapter 7

“Are you sure you have everything?” I ask Ken, looking past his luggage to the rest of his room on the transport.

“Stop worrying, Viv. You’re making me nervous, and I haven’t ingested that plant in days.”

He sighs as he steps to me and wraps his arms around me. “I’m glad we got to spend the night together last night because I’m going to miss you.” He kisses the top of my head.

“You could stay.” I tighten my arms around him. “Work out of the Amagi or the Lee home ship for a while. It wouldn’t be that different from being on Palo Alto in Concord City.”

He chuckles. “It’s tempting for sure. But you’re going to Laguna.”

It’s my turn to sigh and disengage.

“Look, I humored Jinzo yesterday, but there’s no way I’m going on vacation.” I say the word like it’s dirty and contaminated, then roll my eyes for good measure. “Vacation? Who has time for that? My mother would spin in her grave if she were dead. Kawabatas do not go on vacation when there’s work to do.”

Ken folds his arms across his chest. “Vivian, stop being difficult. Jinzo and I want to spend the rest of our lives with you, and we can’t do that if you die from a heart attack at the ripe old age of twenty-six.”

“My heart is just fine, thank you very much. I have to stay. There are more plants to grow, test, and process. More connections to be made. Every day ticks on by, and I’m that much closer to losing the farm.”

“You won’t lose the farm,” he reassures me.

I’ve already lost the farm, I think, but I don’t say. If I ever get it back, it’ll be in such a state that I’ll be lucky to make money off of it ever again. My insides crumble as I imagine my home bare and empty. My bed gone. My mom’s desk already sold off to pay the debts.

I steel myself against the tears.

“I was just in the auxiliary cargo bay yesterday to pick up a few more pieces of my plant…”

It doesn’t escape my notice that he calls the plant his now.

“And a few other things. Everything you’re doing in there is thriving. The system is working, and Carlos set it up so you can adjust everything remotely. What else are you going to stick around here and do while the Amagi is under repairs? Huh?”

Damn. Nothing. I have literally nothing else to do while everyone else works. I could sit and read a book. I haven’t done that in… years, but I could read on the beach. I could pick apart the finances again, but I don’t think anyone would appreciate it. No one loves being criticized for every credit they spend. Not even me. There are new seeds and new products to develop, but there’s only so much I can do without the rest of the ship operational.

Ken sees my blank face and nods. “That’s what I thought. I mean, you could come back to Concord City with me, sit around in my apartment, and relax there, but…”

“Yeah, but.” But Athens Industries, headquartered in Concord City, is waiting for me to accept their offer of employment, and Renata Dellis, CEO of Athens, has a team of henchmen dying to follow me everywhere and ‘convince’ me. “They could follow me here or on Laguna too.”

“They could, but they haven’t. Carlos has been monitoring them, even without Ai. You’re safe away from Concord City.” Somehow I’m not surprised my whole team is watching out for me.

Ken sits down on the edge of his bed and pats it for me to sit down. I sink into the mattress next to him, and he takes my hand.

“Vivi, you haven’t taken a break since you were twenty. Even when we went on trips together, you always brought school work, always had something you had to do. It’s not healthy.”

I stare down at our hands together, remembering our trips to other cities on Rio. He’s not wrong. Though I slowed down a little, I was always still working.

I’m a total workaholic. I’m no good without a job or a purpose.

“What do you do for fun nowadays?” I make sure to gentle the question, so he doesn’t think I’m being petty.

“I, uh…” His cheeks grow pink. “I play Jai Alai and this card game someone taught me called Bridge.”

I skirt past the Bridge which I’ve only ever seen played by retired folks. “When did you learn Jai Alai? Isn’t that dangerous?”

He laughs before kissing the back of my hand and letting go. “I learned a year ago and don’t change the subject. Come on.” He stands up, and I stand with him. “Ship’s leaving in fifteen minutes. I want you to go back to Jinzo’s apartment, get your bag, grab Skylar and Gus, and make Asteria fly you to Laguna. No buts.”

He draws me in for another hug, not paying attention to how I’ve not been saying a word. “Ah, Vivi. I’m so glad we’re back together, and we have so much to look forward to.”

He leans down, and his lips connect with mine. I inhale through my nose, rising to my tiptoes, and running my hands through his hair. Ken makes the kiss count, pressing our bodies together, his tongue slipping over mine and taking my breath away. When he finally ends the kiss, I’m lightheaded.

Pressing his forehead to mine, he says, “I’ll talk to you from Laguna.”

I wander through the halls of the Lee home ship again, wondering what I should do. It’s not like me to relax or take time off, but everyone seems to think it would do me a world of good.

But I know me better than anyone else, right? No one else lives in my heart and understands what I need like I do.

When I finally reach the Amagi, I’m doubting everything. The auxiliary cargo bay is open when I get there, so I close the door and press my back to the wall to stare at the bright room full of green. Jinzo and Ken are right. Everything here is developing fine without me watching it every hour of every day. Plants are growing and on track. Four or five days away wouldn’t make a huge difference.

Maybe what I should do is stop fighting. Maybe I should listen to these people because they care, and they can see things I cannot.

Okay, fine, I’ll go, but I’m not going to just go and sit around. I head down the row of Rio plants and consider what’s grown enough for me to pick and test. If I’m bringing Gus along, then there’s no reason for me to not soldier on with my experiments while I’m there. Considering what I’ve already planted, I decide on two new plants to bring with me — the invisibility fern and the telekinesis vine.

My hand pauses at the invisibility fern. What the heck am I going to use this for? I guess it doesn’t really matter. I should try it anyway. I pluck a few fern curls from the growing tray and notice the next tray over, the one growing regular butter lettuce, has two ferns developing in it as well. Hmmm.

I stand still and detect the air currents in the room. They don’t seem to be coming from any solid direction. Perhaps the ferns I planted have already thrown out spores and ended up in other solutions.

I’m about to raise my voice and ask Ai for the surveillance videos from the room when I remember she’s not there. Sadness flows over me. I miss her.

Stroking the tip of my finger over the other fern curls, I guess they’re only about three to four days old. Okay then. Now I know how virulent these are and how they must be contained in the future to prevent them from inhabiting other growing trays. Since I don’t want Lia accidentally ingesting them, I pull the whole tray out, compost the butter lettuce, and keep the ferns with my own Rio harvest. I’ll bring them with me to Laguna.

Yes, I’m going to Laguna. The whole idea feels like a trap to get me to show I’m a vapid twit who loves expensive resorts and luxurious food, but I’m probably being cynical.

I might as well go.

Then everyone can stop badgering me, right?

Let’s hope so.