Chapter 10

I awoke to a soft alarm that Tali and Alta had designed for me on the station. As promised, all the items that I asked for were sitting in the fabrication dispenser and I quickly donned my temporary clothing. I could tell that it was made of the same fabric as my uniform, at least within the inner lining, but if anyone touched it, it would feel no different than any other human clothing. I found myself shocked that I thought of it as human clothing, but with all the time I spent with the Mac’skarians, it seemed like the correct reference to me. The ID looked accurate, as did the bank card and wallet. I think Tali was having some fun with me, because she had replicated a Velcro wallet that most kids used in the nineties. As I turned to leave, I noticed a backpack appear in the dispenser, and, looking inside, I saw that it had spare clothes and shoes for me. I smiled at how thoughtful she had been and glanced back at my uniform that was folded on my bed. I turned and made my way to the bridge just in time to see that we were holding position just outside the system.

I sat in the pilot’s chair and plotted a course towards Earth with the time to atmospheric entry forty-five minutes away. We could easily get there faster, but the scout’s system limited our speed so that there was no way the emissions of our engines would be detected. I knew that Earth’s detection abilities were too primitive to notice us, but I still didn’t want to take the chance. I felt my anticipation grow with each minute as we drew closer to my former home.

“Tali,” I said, glancing back, “I lived in Norway, Maine. Start scanning the area to find a good area to set the ship down where it won’t be found.”

Tali’s eyes flashed for a moment, “I can’t find any suitable locations, but I can drop you near one and then hide the ship until you call for me. I have taken the liberty of making a cell phone that can tap into the current cellular systems without the need to be part of any company. You can also tap the Tali app to contact me for pick up or if an issue arises.”

I smiled and said, “Thank you, Tali, don’t worry, I plan to keep in touch. Adjust our course for the drop off point you spoke of.”

Tali nodded and I saw our trajectory adjusted slightly. I felt my breath catch as Earth came into view in all its green and blue splendour. I let Tali control the ship as we entered the atmosphere, and, true to her word, the velocity in which we entered was slow enough that we created minimal atmospheric and thermal disturbance.

“Tali, would any of that be detected by any earth-based tracking systems, both digital and regular visual?”

“No, sir,” She replied with a shake of her head. “The thermal reaction to our entry into the atmosphere was as little as I could manage, and no telescopes were pointed in this direction.”

I thought for a minute and asked, “Would they be able to detect the lack of something due to the scout system. Our detection grids are designed to notice things that are there, but also things that are absent when they shouldn’t be.”

“I don’t believe so, sir,” She replied with a thoughtful look on her face, “but I will monitor all communications to make sure that we weren’t detected, sir. I made sure to enter the atmosphere far enough away from our intended destination that it would take them some time to possibly figure out where we went.”

I nodded. We chose to enter at night and hoped that the light pollution would ensure that, if the ship blocked any stars, no one would be able to notice. I put the inertial dampers back up to full and waited as she guided us across the United States into the state of Maine. She found a spot near Pennesseewassee Lake to drop me off, before taking the ship down into the lake itself. I felt the phone in my pocket vibrate and I saw it was a notification from Tali’s app.

Tali - I have rested the ship at the bottom of the lake and the seals are working fine. I have pulled the shields to conform to the contours of the ship, which should ensure the integrity of the hull.

I smiled and tapped to open the app, quickly typing a response back to her.

Captain - Tali please tie this phone into my old phone to collect all messages that I missed over the past six months.

Tali - Very well, sir, it will be done. Please input your previous phone number so that I can locate it and collect anything that is yours, since leaving earth.

I smiled, entered my last phone number, and put the phone back into my pocket, as I walked towards the town. We had completed our task just before dawn came and I expected the sun would be starting to rise when I got into the town. I decided to relax by the water for a while, collect my thoughts and give the town time to wake up a bit. I wondered what had happened to my house, given that I had been missing. Perhaps my sister had sold it to pay for school. The one person I hoped not to run into was Linda, though I doubt she would recognize me with all the physical changes that had happened to me. Even if she did, I figured that speaking Mac’skarian for eight months had probably given me an accent that would hide who I really was.

The sun had been rising in the sky for about an hour or so when I finally decided to head into town. I took my pack and walked the near hour it took to reach the edge of the park. It was a thirty-minute hike to town and when I reached the outskirts, I felt my nerves begin to fray a bit. I shook them off and started the two hour walk to my family home, trying to keep the ‘what ifs’ out of my head. A few things had changed in my absence, some stores had closed while others had opened. It looked like they had added to the public transportation system, given the numerous buses that passed by. That had been a problem before I went to college, and I was happy to see the change.

As I got within the last thirty minutes of my walk, I saw the one person I didn’t want to see, and my stomach rolled. Pushing the nausea aside that was triggered by the memory of what I witnessed, I continued on, hoping that I wouldn’t be noticed, and I thought I had succeeded when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I sighed and turned to see Linda staring at me in shock and wonder.

“Derek,” She whispered, “Is that you? Where have you been all this time? Why haven’t you called?”

“I am sorry, miss,” I replied with a confused smile on my face. “I believe you are mistaken. My name is Hugh, not Derek and I don’t think we have met before.”

“NO!” she screamed, “It’s you! I know it! Yes, you look to have changed a lot, but I can tell that it’s you.”

“Is there a problem, Hun,” came a voice behind me that I immediately recognized as Mike.

“No, there isn’t a problem,” I replied, “this nice woman believes me to be someone she knows but she is incorrect.”

She shook her head wildly, “He is lying, Mike, he is claiming he isn’t Derek, but I know that he is.”

Mike laughed, “That pussy? There is no way this guy is Derek. Derek was a scrawny loser who couldn’t satisfy his woman, which is why you’re with a real man now.”

“Fuck you, Mike,” Linda hissed, “The only reason that even happened was because of the alcohol and whatever was in that weed you brought.”

“Oh, yeah?” He replied, getting in her face. “Then why was it we started fucking behind the dweeb’s back before the trip? Why are you with me now, then, if it was just that one time?”

That was another revelation that turned the knife just a little bit more, killing any feelings I had left for her.

“I was lonely, and he was busy all the time with school. As for why I am with you now, I don’t really fucking know. You are obviously an asshole, so consider whatever this is, as over.”

He stepped forward to back hand her and found me standing between them, bringing him up short.

I narrowed my eyes and said, “I may not be this Derek, but no one raises a hand to a woman. If you don’t want that arm broken, I suggest that you back off, walk away and move on.”

“Oh, yeah, Bitch?” Mike retorted, with his anger rising. “What the fuck are you gonna do about it?” He countered, pushing against my chest.

He was surprised when I didn’t even budge, but that just got him angrier for some reason. I gave him a quick look over and noticed a few things. First, he was still avidly going to the gym, but the muscle growth didn’t look correct, meaning he was possibly taking steroids. His eyes told me he was currently on something, possibly cocaine or some other stimulant. Mike’s stance showed me he had some rudimentary fighting ability, but I doubt he would be an issue if he actually tried something.

I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Walk away now, sir, or I will be forced to defend myself. Believe me when I say that you don’t want me to do that.”

He scoffed and threw a right jab at my face, hoping to throw me off guard. My reflexes and training kicked in automatically as I shifted to my left and grabbed his arm with my right hand. I twisted to the right harshly, pulling his arm with me and slamming my shoulder into his now overstretched elbow. I heard a sickening pop and a scream of pain from Mike, as I forced his forearm out of the elbow joint at an odd angle. Not stopping the momentum, I lashed out at the side of his right knee, which was a bit extended in front of him, with my right heel. It had the same effect, shifting the lower half of his leg out of place and causing his body weight to wreak havoc on his knee joint.

I stepped away, leaving Mike on the ground in pain, just as a police cruiser approached. This was the last thing I would need, but I had no choice now. My only hope to get out of this without doing any jail time would be if Linda said what actually happened. The cruiser came to a halt and a young officer stepped out.

“Alright, what happened here?” the officer asked, while placing his hand on the butt of his taser.

I raised my hands and answered, “I was heading to visit some old friends when this young lady stopped me, believing I was someone she knew. Despite me telling her to the contrary, she was adamant that I was this Derek person. This man here appeared, and they started talking, which slowly got heated. When she suggested that she move on from their relationship, he raised his hand to hit her. I stepped in between them and asked him to leave, as I would be forced to defend the woman and myself, if necessary. He shoved me, probably hoping to get me off balance, but that failed. He then decided to sucker punch me and my years of martial arts training kicked in, I dislocated his right elbow and knee. Then you pulled up and asked what had happened.”

“Is that account of what happened correct, ma’am?” asked the officer, his hand still on the butt of the taser.

“FUCK, NO, IT ISN’T!” screamed Mike, “He fucking attacked me for no reason, saying he was going to take her away.”

“Shut up, Mike,” Linda spat. “With the amount of shit you have gotten into, no one would believe that.” She turned to the officer. “This man’s account of what happened was accurate. Mike tried to hit me when I said I was leaving him, and this man got in between us. He tried to get Mike to stop and warned him of what would happen if he continued threatening us. Mike, being the bully that he is, ignored the warning and attempted to sucker punch him. Faster than I could follow, this man had Mike on the ground, and you pulled up. Mike has a wild temper, especially when he is on drugs, so there is no telling what could have happened to me.”

The officer nodded and flipped Mike on his stomach as he searched him while Mike moaned in pain and yelled about police brutality. After a minute of searching, the officer found enough cocaine on Mike to charge him with possession with intention to distribute. Linda gave the officer the keys to her car, where he found more as well as a few syringes of illegal steroids. With everything that he found, he said I was free to go and radioed for backup and an ambulance. He said that he wasn’t going to charge Linda until they had investigated the possibility of her participation in the drugs.

As I began to walk away Linda called out, “You may or may not be Derek, but thank you!”

I simply nodded as I continued, taking a longer route to make sure she wouldn’t realize I was headed to my old house. Once I knew I was far enough away, I began heading through the various alleyways and small roads until I found myself in front of my house nearly an hour later. It looked a little better, with a fresh coat of paint. I didn’t recognize the car in the driveway, but that was fine. I slowly walked up to the door and just as I was about to knock, the door swung open. I saw an irritated and dishevelled Eva, my sister, standing at the door.

She glared at me and said, “Whatever you are here to sell, I am not interested! So please leave before I call the cops!”

I couldn’t help but grin as I said, “Oh I am not here to sell anything, Ev, but I am happy to see you are here taking care of the house.”

Her eyes narrowed, as she looked at me more closely. Only David and I called her that, which had her suspicions raised immediately.

“Derek?” she whispered, her eyes widening in shock. “Derek, is that really you? Please don’t be playing some kind of prank on me.”