Page 28 of A Mate For Matrix
“You three behave,” she called out to the kittens who scurried past her.
She ran her fingertips lightly over the interior wall. Everything looked sleek, futuristic, and impossibly clean. Curving walls made of what looked like glowing metal seamlessly transitioned into floor and ceiling. Control panels shimmered with floating symbols and soft lights that danced at the edges of her vision. The ceiling arched overhead like the inside of a polished dome, showing the stars above as if she were riding in a bubble through space.
The floor beneath her feet vibrated softly, but there was no jarring movement, no sense of an engine like her old Toyota. It was… smooth. Like they were gliding on silk.
“Wow,” she murmured, gazing around as if she was on a theme-park ride through the future.
A small yowl interrupted her awe.
The three kittens—Biscuit, Honeybun, and Butter—were enthusiastically exploring their fresh territory. Biscuit had leapt up onto a padded bench and was batting at a glowing interface button. Honeybun had discovered a reflective panel and was attacking her own reflection, while Butter had already crawled halfway into a narrow vent.
“Biscuit, no! Honeybun, stop fighting yourself! Butter—oh for the love of tuna—don’t go in there!”
A deep chuckle behind her caused her to turn. “It looks like they are making themselves at home. It’s not much, but it’s ours,” Matrix said beside her.
K-Nine let out a long-suffering sigh and padded after them. “Welcome to what my new life looks like until you two start adding to yours. It’ll be good training at least.”
Jana flushed and laughed. “Yeah, uh, thanks for that visual, K-Nine. They’re going to be a handful.”
Matrix wrapped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her against him. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Come on, I’ll show you the controls.”
Jana followed Matrix to the front of the transport. She was expecting the cockpit to be small and cramped. Instead, it was open, with four seats. In front was a window that wrapped around, giving an almost one-hundred and eighty degree view.
She stepped forward, drawn toward the wide observation window. She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist as Matrix slid into the pilot’s seat.
She barely noticed the subtle hum of the machinery or the way the curved glass canopy above her gave a panoramic view of the surrounding sky. Her eyes remained fixed on the scorched earth below.
Where her house once stood, there was now only blackened soil and a gaping emptiness that made her breath catch. The lawn, the porch swing, the tiny white fence she never got around to fixing, her car… everything was gone. Vaporized.
It looked like someone had pressed “delete” on her entire life.
“I have nothing left,” she whispered to no one in particular, curling her fingers into the fabric of her shirt—her only shirt. “There’s nothing left.”
Behind her, the sound of claws clicking softly on the smooth floor reached her ears. K-Nine padded closer, pausing at her side. His head tilted as he studied her in silence for a moment before his voice, surprisingly gentle, broke the stillness.
“What is wrong, Jana?”
She shook her head, her lips trembling before she could form words. “Everything. I didn’t even think about it until now… but I don’t have any clothes. Or money. Or… or a single photo of my parents.” Her voice quivered on the last word. “They were in a little box in my bedroom or hanging on the walls. They’re… gone. All except?—”
K-Nine’s ears flicked. “All except?”
She sniffed and lifted a hand to wipe away a tear. “I have one left—on my desk at the clinic.”
Matrix rose from his seat and gently rubbed his warm hands up and down her arms.
“Where is Dr. Wilson’s clinic?” he asked quietly.
Jana looked up at him, her eyes brimming with emotion—but also hope. “About fifteen minutes west of town. Can we get it? It would mean the world to me. And…” She gave a small laugh, wiping another stray tear away with the back of her hand. “I need to get some stuff for the kittens. Their toys, carrier, food, bowls—everything—are all gone.”
Matrix let out a sigh and dropped his chin to rest on the top of her head as he drew her into his arms. “I should have thought of this before I disintegrated your house.”
A startled laugh burst from Jana. She shook her head and looked at him. “Trust me, I’d much rather lose my house than become Crawler food. You vaporized the right thing.”
She reached up and cupped his cheek. “The only thing I can’t replace are the photos. If I can get even one back… I’ll be okay.”
“We can do that, can’t we, Matrix?” K-Nine replied.
“Oh, and I’m going to need some clothes,” she added with a sniff and a crooked smile, “and a toothbrush, shampoo, some essentials. I can’t go gallivanting across the galaxy in one of your shirts and nothing else.”
