Page 21 of Between Earth and Eternity
“Skyler,” I say, shaking her hand. I ask about her age, and as I suspected, she’s only a couple of years younger than me.
The group continues to walk the length of the terminal.
“So, where are you from?” Ori asks. I like her voice. It’s soothing.
“I live, well, lived, just outside the city center.”
Her eyes go wide. “No way. That is so cool. I’ve only been in the city once, but I was so young, I don’t remember much.”
Now it’s my turn to be surprised. “Really? How far away do you live from the city?”
“It’s probably a few hours by air shuttle, but no one on the edges of the settlement goes into the city these days.”
A million questions run through my mind, but before I can ask anything, we reach the end of the terminal.
“Please pay close attention, everyone,” Osman says as we gather around, and I’m relieved to find I’m not the only one feeling the sting goodbye. There are a few reddened eyes, some faces with concern and a little shell shock. But the rest have expressions of excitement and eagerness like Ori.
Lucky them. I offer her a smile when she looks my way, and she attempts one back. Poor thing.
I scan the rest of the group, and one of the men around my age offers me a warm smile. He’s handsome, with dark blonde hair, freckles dotting his face and nose, and bright blue eyes. I quickly turn away, feeling heat rise to my cheeks.
“We will get everyone through the security checkpoint, and then each of you will be debriefed followed by a light lunch. After lunch, we will escort you to your living quarters for quarantine.”
Osman directs us to gather in a single-file line. Ori and I take the back of the group, and I watch carefully as each person goes through. It doesn’t look too invasive. Everyone’s bag passes under a hyper-view machine, which scans multiple layers to detect anything amiss, while we each walk through a human-sized image scanner.
I am the last to complete the process, repeating the same motions as everyone else. One of the stewards examines my phone for a second, which makes me uneasy. I start to wonder if they’ll take it from me. Thankfully, no one noticed me wiping mypalms or biting my lip several times before they finally handed it back to me.
“You will now briefly meet with another official to verify some information about yourselves, ensuring we have all the details correct in the system,” Mr. Hall explains. We enter a large room filled with hundreds of cubicles, though only a few are occupied.
I end up with an older woman wearing dark red lipstick, and I extend her a smile that she doesn’t return. Noted.
She holds out her datapad without a word, and I realize she wants me to scan my thumbprint. I fumble, placing it on the surface. Abingsounds, and she pulls it away.
“Skyler C. Andrews.” I wait for her to go on, but she doesn’t.
“Uh, yes. That’s me.”
She reads over whatever information pulls up on the screen. “Miss Andrews, are you currently involved with any groups or individuals whose interests contradict Mannox Industries and its mission?” She doesn’t look up from her datapad to pose the question. I’m stunned for several seconds, and she peers at my face, eyeing me suspiciously when I don’t answer.
“No. I’m not.” It may be the truth, but I still swallow nervously.
“Have you heard rumors or speculation of members belonging to these groups at your work assignment or place of residence?”
“No.”
“If you observe any suspicious individuals or situations while aboard Zenith, will you promptly notify a steward or another member of the staff?”
What the hell?
“Uh, yeah,” I say.
“Please repeat, Miss Andrews, for the record. Speak clearly.”
“Yes, I will,” I quickly blurt.
She taps something on the datapad. “Just a few more questions.”
I don’t like this one bit. Digging my nails into my palm, I steady myself.
