Page 116 of Homebound
“I do. This ship uses a technology known as ‘phantom crystals’ to power boosters for propulsion. Effective but volatile, and the compounds used in the crystal powder are not available on Earth.”
She gaped at him. “How do you know so much about old alien ships?”
“It was part of my training.”
“You were an engineer?”
“I was a pilot. Engineers build new ships. I can only fix the existing ones.”
“But it’s not even Rix technology!”
Oh, those fine eyebrows of his. They were designed purely for conveying superiority with one twitch. “Any ship. Any technology.”
Suddenly, it hit Gemma: he was serious. This was a real spaceship. He honestly planned to take it to space.
Okay, she was willing to go to Enzomora with him. But in this?
Her uncertainty changed into dread, and she grappled for an excuse to abandon Butan where it lay.
“You said we can’t get phantom crystals here. There goes that plan.”
“There is enough residue in the boosters to propel it in space.” Evidently, Simon had crawled all over the ship to investigate. “Not enough to fly us to Enzomora, but enough to get to the closest route where Rix patrol.”
She gave up the pretense. “Simon, even if this thing can fly - which you haven’t convinced me it can - how do you see it lifting off from the junkyard?”
He looked pensive for a moment. “I may have an idea about the liftoff.” Suddenly, he leaned down and kissed her on the mouth, setting off a buoyant kind of pleasure within her. “Trust me, it can be done. The real question is, are you ready to go away with me?”
His question stunned her with its finality.
“There will be no going back, will there?” her voice almost broke, and she had to pause. “If I leave, I will never see Earth again.”
“No.”
However far-fetched his plan, this was her chance of leaving this place and starting over. With him. She didn’t know how, could scarcely imagine where they were going and what kind of world she’d discover, but she and Simon, together, would have a fresh start.
It felt right.
“I’ll go anywhere with you, Simon. I can’t live without you.”
He linked their hands together and raised them to his mouth, kissing the back of hers, sealing her fate.
Chapter 26
It was strange and startling for Gemma to wake up in the morning to the sight of Simon moving freely about, unfettered by the barred door of his prison cell. She wished there was a way to freeze-frame this moment in time when she brimmed with love for him, with happiness so acute it hurt to think it may one day come to an end.
He dragged in mechanical parts to work on, preferring to do it inside during daylight hours to avoid being spotted out and about. At night, in the darkness, he went to Butan and attached the parts to the ship, wiring and welding them with makeshift tools.
Gemma rarely ventured out. She was still weak, her recovery from the near-starvation slow. She slept a lot. She ate according to the schedule she created for herself, carefully rationing out the food from behind the curtain. She felt idle and useless, but at the same time, she knew she needed rest to build up her strength. She couldn't afford to slow Simon down.
They talked little, with Simon being comfortable with long silences. He seemed to prefer it that way. Gemma also didn’t mind, much as she would have liked to hear him tell her more about himself. The learning would come in due course.
On nights when he wasn’t working they shared the bed, in a way. She slept, and he sat next to her with his back to the wall, doing that thing with stasis that Rix did to regain their energy.
They ate dinners together. Shared meals, something most couples took for granted, had been denied them in prison, and now Gemma raced to compensate for the lost time by carefully planning their mealtimes around Simon’s activities.
She hated it when he went out, chronically afraid that they would get separated again. Just thinking about it made her hands still in the process of laying out forks and plates. She aftereffects of the stress she’d experienced daily while Simon was in prison would always stay with her. Besides, Dr. Delano was out there somewhere, and he wouldn’t rest until he had Simon.
The door behind the curtain opened, telling her that her alien was home. Every time it happened, it was like a huge burden lifted from Gemma’s heart.
