A Dangerous Universe Searching For Earth
Saxon Andrew
Copyright © 2024 Saxon Andrew All rights reserved.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locals, organisations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.
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Contents
Chapter One • Chapter Two • Chapter Three • Chapter Four • Chapter Five • Chapter Six • Chapter Seven • Chapter Eight • Chapter Nine • Chapter Ten • Chapter Eleven • Chapter Twelve • Chapter Thirteen • Chapter Fourteen • Chapter Fifteen • Chapter Sixteen • Chapter Seventeen • Chapter Eighteen • Chapter Nineteen Epilogue
Books by Saxon Andrew About Saxon Andrew
Chapter One
Rebecca heard the screams as she ran into the elevator; the door closed and it dropped to the ground floor. She stepped out as all the other occupants in the elevator rushed out. She stepped back in the elevator and waited for the elevator door to close. It stayed open and she saw all the lights were off on the first floor. She saw people running toward the front entry doors and suddenly saw a brilliant beam flash through the glass in the door burning a large hole through it. Everyone near the doors scattered as they ran away from the ten aliens outside the entry doors. She ran out of the elevator and rushed to the emergency exit door. She went through the door, took off her heels, and started running down the stairs. She arrived at the bottom floor and began pounding on the door. She was screaming hysterically, “OPEN THE DOOR!!!”
She almost gave up hope and turned to run back up the steps when the door opened and she saw Top standing in the doorway. She rushed past him and Top turned as he closed the door, “You could have just tried the handle,” Top said.
Rebecca was shaking, “I, I, I’m too frightened to think clearly.”
Top locked the door and walked past her to his desk. “TOP, THE BUILDING IS UNDER ATTACK!” Top took a leather bag out of a drawer and looked at her in silence. Rebecca stared at him and forced herself to take a deep breath and blow it out slowly before she asked, “Aren’t you scared?”
“Not at the moment. There’s some time before they’ll come down twenty flights of stairs and they’ll have to investigate every floor before arriving at this level. Which begs the question, why are you here?”
“I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go where I might be safe.”
Top’s brow furrowed and Rebecca added, “You’re always in control and every time I’ve come down here to deliver your mail, I’ve found peace and serenity. I heard the security supervisor say the aliens were dropping soldiers and going outside the building wasn’t safe.”
Top took the leather pouch in his left hand and lifted a box beside the desk. He turned and walked toward the Space Yacht in the
middle of the room and went in the port. Rebecca immediately ran to the port and asked in a quivering voice, “What are you going to do?!”
Top glanced at her and said, “I’m going to leave, of course. But not before all the Xenical Transports are on the ground. That’s going to take another thirty minutes or so.” Top paused and said, “You’ll be safe here.”
Rebecca’s head started shaking, “If I’m going to be safe here, why are you leaving?!”
Top shrugged and stepped past her as he said, “It’s time to go.”
He went to another box against the wall, lifted it, and carried it to the port. “Take me with you!” Top looked at her and snorted. “PLEASE! TAKE ME WITH YOU!!”
Top put the box down, straightened up and said, “You should get Mr. Fletcher to take you away.”
“I WOULDN’T GO WITH HIM TO A CHILDREN’S CARNIVAL MUCH LESS ANYWHERE ELSE. TAKE ME WITH YOU, TOP!!” Top looked at her with a furrowed brow and Rebecca said, “I’ve never gone anywhere with him without others being present! I know what everyone says but none of it is true!” Rebecca paused and added, “When the glass was shot out on the top floor, I was panicked and didn’t know what to do. But I knew you would know and I rushed here as fast as possible. Please, take me with you.”
Top stared at her and said, “There are six thousand people in this building and you decided I was the one to save you.” Rebecca nodded. “That should sound ludicrous to even you; you don’t know anything about me!”
“I know that you are the smartest person in the building. I also know that nothing seems to bother you; you never loose your cool. I also know you treat others with respect and kindness…..”
Top held up his hand, “WHOA!’ He lowered his hand and said, “I don’t deal with other people.”
“Yes, you do.” Rebecca replied. “I’ve watched you in meetings Mr. Fletcher has called and you’ve not put anyone in an uncomfortable position even when you knew they were wrong. And Janie Atkins said you gave her money this past holiday when she didn’t have
enough to buy her children presents. She told me she had no idea how you knew that.”
Top was silent before saying, “Janie does a good job cleaning up in here.”
“Top, I know in that gruff exterior you’re a good person. Please take me with you and get me out of this building!!”
“And how do you know I can get out of this building?”
“If it can be done, you’re the only one that can. And you just said it’s time to leave.”
Top snorted and walked over to his desk, with Rebecca right behind him, and sat down on the chair. He was shaking his head and Rebecca remained silent behind him. He turned to her and said, “Tie your hair back.” Rebecca’s eyes widened slightly but she instantly pulled a hair tie out of her small purse and tied her hair back in a ponytail. Top turned, opened the belly drawer on the desk, and said, “You can’t wear those clothes.” He took a thumb drive out of the drawer, closed the drawer, and stood up. He turned to Rebecca and saw her jacket, blouse, and skirt were laying on the floor. “I DIDN’T MEAN FOR YOU TO UNDRESS!!”
Rebecca shook her head, “The only way you’re taking me is for me to do exactly what you want without hesitation.”
Top looked away, walked over to a cabinet against the wall, and took out a light-blue-colored jumpsuit. He kept his eyes averted as he tossed it to her, “Put this on.” Rebecca’s eyes narrowed and Top said, “One size fits all; put it on an come in the ship when you’re dressed.”
Rebecca looked at the small jumpsuit and took off her underwear. She sat down in the chair and pulled her legs into it and it easily stretched as she pulled it up over her chest. She looked down and decided taking off the underwear was a good decision; this jumpsuit fit her like a second skin. She picked up her clothes, hesitated, and threw them on the chair, she could come get them later. She grabbed her purse and heels and ran to the port.
Top saw her and said, “Come with me.” He went to another cabinet on the wall and took out what looked like sneakers without a top. He put them on the floor and said, “Step into them.” Rebecca
put one foot on a sole and then the other foot on the other sole. Top took a device out of the cabinet that looked like a remote control, pointed it at the shoes, and pressed a button. Rebecca saw the sneakers seem to flow around her feet and, after a moment, they solidified. Top said, “Take a few steps.”
She did and said, “These feel like I don’t have shoes on at all. I’ve never seen or heard of this.”
Top shrugged and said, “Let’s get on board the ship.”
They went in the ship and Top nodded to the chair next to his; Rebecca immediately sat down. She saw Top staring out of the viewport in silence and she wondered what he was doing. He turned to her and said, “I need you to operate our defenses.”
“How do I do that?”
Top reached over and pressed a red button on the top of her panel and it turned green. The monitor directly in front of her illuminated and she saw a dark screen with a red X in the center. Top said, “Put your index finger on the X and move it around the screen. Rebecca did as she was told and Top said, “That red X is the targeting cursor. Any ship that is attacking us will appear on the monitor as a bright green circle. The closest ship to us will have a larger circle than ones further away. Understand?” Rebecca nodded. “You will move the red X over the closest target and when the green circle turns red, the system is locked on it. To fire our weapons on that ship, press the red button on your console.”
“I don’t see a red button.”
“It’s the green one in the center of the console; it will turn red when a target is locked on.” Top paused and said, “Once you have targeted the closest ship, immediately press the red button but be looking for the next closest ship and move the red X to target it. Keep moving the cursor until no attacking ship is close to us, understand?”
“Top, I’ve never fired a weapon at anyone!”
“Do you want to live or not?” Rebecca stared at him and Top said, “You can stay here and it won’t be a problem for you.”
Rebecca shook her head, “I’ll press the button.”
Top sat still for a moment and then lifted the ship off the floor. He
started moving forward and the huge metal door at the end of the room started moving up. Top moved the ship through the door and Rebecca saw they entered a dark narrow space slightly wider than the ship. Top began raising the ship and Rebecca saw a solid surface above them. Top stopped the ship and she saw the covering above the concrete walls around them suddenly snap to the side and Top lifted out above ground and instantly turned the nose of the ship up and accelerated away at high-speed. “Keep those ships off us!!”
Rebecca saw a large green dot on the display moving rapidly toward them and she moved the red X over it and it locked on. She pressed the red button on the console and moved the X over another ship that had turned and flew in at them.
She lost track of how many alien ships she targeted and she was so focused on her display she didn’t even know if they were hit. She did know that Top should have been high in the atmosphere but the ship was still flying at low level above the giant city. Finally, Top turned the ship and started flying toward two giant alien warships in orbit above the city. Immediately, the two warships powered up their rear thrusters and accelerated away from them. Top maintained the distance from them and they suddenly disappeared three minutes later.
Top grunted, ‘Good!” He whipped the ship around and turned back toward the planet. He flew towards the Everest Mountain Chain and as he flew past New Denver, he had the ship flying just above the trees in the mountains. He finally slowed the ship and brought it to a stop above a small cabin nestled in and among some trees. There was a clearing in front of the cabin and Top landed the ship. He stood up, opened the port, and stepped out. He ran to the cabin and used a hand device to open the cabin’s door. Rebecca followed him and saw Top pick up a large, sealed bag from the top of a pile of them, throw it over his shoulder, and walk out of the cabin Toward the ship. Rebecca went to the pile and lifted one of the bags and struggled to get it on her shoulders. Darn they were heavy. She walked out of the cabin and saw Top passing her going back to the cabin. His eyes widened slightly as he passed and Rebecca took the bag to the port, threw it in, then went inside and put it on top of
the bag Top had brought in and put in a large metal box. She rushed out and saw Top coming back; he didn’t say anything as she went to pick up another bag.
It took two hours to move one stack of the bags to the ship and it was getting dark. Top took the bag from Rebecca’s shoulder and said, “That’s all for today. Go to the cabin. He took the bag into the ship and closed the port. He walked back to the cabin and found Rebecca on the couch bent over rubbing her shoulders. Top closed the cabin door and said, “You surprised me.” Rebecca lifted her head and looked at him. “I didn’t believe you would be able to lift one of those bags much less carry them to the ship.”
“I was raised on a farm and my brother taught me how to lift things. I have to tell you that was a workout! I’m going to be hurting in the morning.” Rebecca asked, “Those bags are full of food aren’t they?”
Top nodded, “The left stack of bags are pills that provide all the vitamins and food a person needs for one day. Just take one, and you won’t feel hungry and all nutritional needs will be met. The right stack are pills that provide all the water a person requires.”
Rebecca looked at the other three stacks of bags and said, “You’re going somewhere, aren’t you?”
Top stared at her and then said, “Yes, I am.”
“And you intend to leave me here, don’t you?” Top nodded. Rebecca lowered her head, “Well, thank you for keeping me safe.”
Top nodded and said, “There’s a shower in the next room. Put your jumpsuit in the clothes cleaner and it should be done when you get out. I’m going to start a fire.” Rebecca nodded and went into the next room. •
When Rebecca came out, she saw Top sitting on a chair in front of the fireplace staring into it and she pulled up another chair next to him and stared into the fire. They were silent for thirty minutes and Top turned to Rebecca, “Why did you come to the basement today?”
“I told you why, Top.”
“I don’t know if I believe you, Rebecca.”
“Call me Becky. I was being honest, Top. I was scared out of my wits and had no idea of what to do. Everyone around me was running around in a panic and I realized in that moment that the only one in the building who wouldn’t be panicked was you. So, I came down to the basement. And I was right.” Rebecca stared at him and said, “You don’t like me, do you?” Top turned to her and she asked, “Why?” Top didn’t respond and Becky said, “You think I have my position in the company because of my looks, don’t you?”
Top remained silent as she added, “And you believe I and Mr. Fletcher have an affair going on as well.”
Top snorted, “I think that’s pretty obvious.” Becky stared at him and Top said, “Didn’t you win a beauty contest just before you were hired?”
“Actually, I came in second in the Continent Beauty Padget; I didn’t win it.” Top lowered his head and looked at her through his eyebrows. “I suppose that’s what everyone thinks; but it isn’t true.”
“Come on, Rebecca! You were only hired because of your looks and we all know about Rory Fletcher. You’ve gone through life getting ahead by using your appearance, why don’t you admit it?”
Becky stared at Top and said, “Do you know that you are the only person in the building that I take their mail to them?”
Top’s brow furrowed, “Why would you do that?”
“To escape.”
“Escape what?”
“You think beauty is a blessing that will make my life great; actually, it’s a curse.”
“Come on!”
“Top, I can’t go anywhere in the building without men hitting on me. I can’t go to a restaurant without numerous men trying to buy me a drink. Every woman I encounter is resentful and jealous when their husbands or boyfriends stop and stare at me. Oh I knew Rory hired me intending to take advantage of me.”
“And you still accepted the job!” Top countered.
“Not before I called his wife and told her if she ever needed a babysitter, I’d be happy to do it. She asked me who I was and I told her I was Rory’s new administrative assistant. She was in his office
in an instant, took a look at me, and I saw her anger. However, I told her she looked fabulous and that I wish I could afford her purse that matched her shoes perfectly. She invited me out to lunch and after an hour, we were best of friends. When we came back from lunch, she told Rory he had better take care of me and leave me alone.”
“What happened?”
Becky smiled, “He was livid but he treated me like I was radioactive. Marlene called me every day and Rory would hear me talking with her. He wasn’t about to fire me or move me to another position; Marlene knew she could use me to keep tabs on him. And truth be told, Rory does love her.”
Top stared at her and Becky sighed, “I really hoped I’d be given another job in the engineering department, and I handled the issue of Rory but all the other men in the office just refused to let up hitting on me. I handled it because that’s what I’ve had to do my entire life. Everyone I turned down would say I only turned them down because I was having an affair with Rory to spare their ego. But sometimes , it just got very, very, very old. It was in those moments that I brought you your mail.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Well, it got me out of the office and it took some time to get down to the basement. The only man who didn’t hit on me in this building was you. I’d ask you some questions and you’d always answer them politely. I found peace in those moments and after I recouped myself, I’d leave and go back into the fray.”
Top looked at the fire and said, “I’ve heard some managers ask Rory about you and he would always smile, then say, “Nothing is going on?”
“Which only convinced them it was,” Becky remarked. “Even you believed it.”
Top turned to her and said, “Yes, I did.”
Becky said softly, “You’re leaving and not coming back, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“Take me with you, Top.” Top’s eyes instantly narrowed. Becky
started speaking quickly, “Top, I don’t have anyone left and nothing to go back to. I want desperately to escape this life but I believe taking me would be a benefit.” Top’s head tilted and Becky continued, “You can’t fly the ship and operate the weapons at the same time. I can help with that. Further, I’m a very adaptive person and I believe I would be an asset in flying the ship.”
“Other than the weapons, what other possible asset could you bring to the table.”
“I’m very good with electrical systems.” Top snorted and Becky quickly said, “Top, I graduated from Edison Polytech with honors and received a Ph-d in advanced electrical systems. That’s why I accepted the job as Rory’s assistant; I was hoping to transfer to the engineering department.”
Top scoffed, “Get the hell out of here!”
“I also received a doctorate in Human History from Mercer University after I graduated from Edison. I wrote my thesis on why Earth hid itself from all the colonies.”
Top stared at her and then asked, “And just when did you find the time to accomplish all this?”
“I entered college when I was sixteen years old. Received my bachelor’s degree when I was nineteen three years later. I had both Doctorates by the time I was twenty-four. It was during my last year in graduate school that I entered that beauty pageant to win a bet against my roommate. I won and had to go to the Continental Pageant.”
“The timeline doesn’t work,” Top remarked.
“I went to school all year, every year.”
“Why would you possibly do that?” Top asked.
“Because I refused to go home. And I really enjoyed learning.”
“Why wouldn’t you go home?” Becky stared at Top and was silent. Top waited for her to respond and when she didn’t he said, “You mentioned you have no one or anything to come back to.”
Becky looked into the fire and was silent for about five minutes. Top waited and finally Becky said, “My parents were divorced when I was five years old.” She paused and then continued, “My father was an executive of a medium sized company on Corinth. My mother
knew he was cheating on her but she put up with it. She walked in on him one day giving me a bath and he wasn’t touching me appropriately. She immediately kicked him out of the house and divorced him for cheating. My mother dedicated her life to me and my older brother. We moved out of the city to a farm and I remember my brother teaching me how to hunt. When I was twelve years old, I killed my first and only Vastage Stag.”
“WHAT?” Top replied loudly.
Becky smiled, “The head on that stag was larger than my entire body. The horns were about twenty feet wide and it took two rifle shots to kill it.”
“I’ve heard Vastage Stags are only hunted with energy weapons,” Top remarked.
“Well, “I used a fifty-caliber recoilless rifle.” Becky paused and said, “After I killed it, Josh insisted that it should be made into a trophy. But I felt shame by what I had done. That magnificent beast deserved better than being killed for sport. I told Josh to gather what meat we could carry and the rest would be left behind to feed the small predators and be in the circle of life.”
Becky paused and said, “The reason I told you this is because I loved my older brother. He taught me so much about farming and he married his high school sweetheart right after they graduated. When I was fifteen, my mother was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer and it metastasized into her lungs and liver. She died three months later and my father went to court to take custody of me. My mother hired an attorney before she died and he played a recording asking the court to not grant my father custody and she included the evidence of his affairs in the recording. She asked my older brother to be given custody and after my father made an ass of himself, the judge granted Josh custody. I was asked what I wanted and I told the judge I wanted to live with Josh.
The Judge told my father he would continue to pay child support to Josh along with educational expenses. My father told the Judge she was crazy and she raised the child support ten thousand credits. He yelled again and she raised it another ten thousand credits. He shut up after that.”
“Why do you say you don’t have anyone?”
“When I was eighteen, my father’s company suffered a huge financial loss. He went to see Josh at the farm and told him he could no longer pay the child support. Josh told him he could sell the private jet and use that to pay for it. My father blew a fuse. He pulled a gun and shot and killed, Josh, his wife and two children. He then put the gun to his head and killed himself. The farm was foreclosed on by the bank and I lost Josh as well as my home.”
Top lowered his eyes, “I’m sorry.”
“I survived by working as a waitress after classes and I did pretty well. I haven’t gone back to Corinth since Josh’s funeral; I didn’t even go to my father’s burial.” Becky turned to Top, “If you’re going to leave and not come back, I think Rory might blow a fuse as well and I know if he learns I’ve been with you……”
“He’ll pop a cork because he’ll believe you and I have done what he hasn’t done.”
Becky nodded, “Exactly.” Becky paused and said, “He’ll also wonder how you managed to run off those aliens.” Top looked at her and Becky said, “I know Power Industry doesn’t have defenses like I saw on this ship. Just like before when he stole your patent, he’ll do it again.”
“You know about that, huh.” Becky nodded. Top looked into the fire and he finally said, “We’ll talk about this in the morning.” He stood up, went to the couch, pulled a blanket over him, and went to sleep. Becky stared at the fire and wiped her tears before standing up and going into the other room.
Top had his eyes closed and after she closed the door, he sat up. He stared straight ahead in silence. After a moment he said, “You’re sure about that?” He continued to look straight ahead and after a moment laid back down.
Chapter Two
The next morning, Becky got up, put on the jumpsuit, and went outside to find Top carrying bags to the ship. She waited until he came back to the cabin and said, “You know, if you moved the ship closer to the steps into the cabin, I could pass you the bags and you could just throw them in the port. We could both put them in the box afterwards.”
Top looked at the ship thirty yards away and shook his head. He walked to the ship and moved it so the port was two steps from the stairs. He came out and found Becky had pulled ten bags to the top of the steps. He grabbed a bag and tossed it into the port. After thirty minutes, Top said, “This was a good idea.”
“I learned on the farm it’s far easier to move the tractor than the barn.” Top chuckled and Becky smiled as she said, “Besides, it’s a lot easier for me to drag the bags here than lift them. I wouldn’t have made it through another day of that.” They finally moved all the bags into the ship and Becky’s eyes narrowed, “Top, there’s more bags than will fit in that metal box.”
“Over the years I’ve purchased the food bags and bought more than I needed because I might move here one day and live.”
“I suppose you’ve calculated how much food you’ll need to make your trip and this metal box was supposed to hold all of it, right?”
Top nodded. “Why are you taking the extra bags?” Top stared at her and Becky said softly, “You’re taking me with you, right?”
Top held up a hand, “Before you get all excited, I’m considering it and I will take you with me to take care of a few issues before I make the final decision.”
“That’s fair, Top; it will give me time to prove I can be an asset. What now?”
“Come with me.” Top walked to the side of the cabin and attached one end of a high-pressure hose on a fitting sticking out of the wall. He took the other end of the hose and started walking toward the ship. “Pull the release valve when I tell you.” Becky nodded. Top raise a small door on the side of the ship and attached the hose to a fitting. “Release the valve!” Becky pulled the handle and the hose
instantly tightened. She knew that the water flowing through the hose was under high pressure. And she was amazed it took close to an hour before it stopped flowing. “SHUT IT OFF!” Top yelled. Becky shut the valve off and Top came up and hit a small release valve on the hose and detached it from the wall. He went back to the ship, removed it from the connector and pulled it to the side of the cabin. He then connected another hose to a different fitting on the wall and pulled the second hose to the ship. He connected it to a fitting inside the small door and yelled, “RELEASE THE VALVE!” Becky pulled the handle and she heard air rushing into the hose. Top walked away and waved for Becky to join him in the cabin. She went in and found Top putting jumpsuits in an empty box along with numerous soles like the ones she was wearing on her feet. “Take this to the ship.” Becky took the box and it was far lighter than the food bags. She saw Top come out of the cabin carrying three what appeared to be some kind of shoulder weapon. She looked at Top as he put them on wall mounts. He nodded for her to follow him and they went back and Top put six hand weapons in a box and handed it to her. He then opened a cabinet and took out thirty 20-volt batteries, put them in a box and headed back to the ship. He snapped the batteries on to connectors on the wall below the shoulder weapons. And turned to Becky, as she asked, “What do you call these hand weapons?”
“They’re called guns. Stay here.”
He rushed out of the ship and Becky lifted her communicator when he disappeared into the cabin. A few moments later, he came rushing out of the cabin and jumped into the port from the steps. He glared at Becky, hesitated, then closed the port. Becky instantly knew something was wrong. Top lifted the ship and turned on his personal communicator. It instantly started beeping and Top punched a button on it. Becky saw Rory Fletcher appear on a wall display to the right of the central display above the viewport, “Top, where are you?”
Top’s eyes tightened as he said, “Well hello, Rory. I’m going to take an extended vacation from the company.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not coming back, Rory. Consider this my resignation.”
“Top, why are you doing this?”
“It’s time, Rory.”
Rory was silent a moment and then he said, “Thank you for removing those Xenical attack ships and my scientists have said they don’t understand the technology you used to do it.”
“Sorry Rory, that is not a patent you’re going to get.”
“But our agreement states that I get first right of refusal on any new technology you develop!”
Top snorted, “Let’s just say I don’t intend to file a patent on it any time soon. If I do; you’ll be the first to know.”
Rory said, “But….” As Top shut off the communicator.
Becky turned to him, “What’s wrong?”
“There are five small attack ships moving at us from two directions over the mountains, three from the south and two from the north. They’ll arrive here in about ten minutes.”
“Should I power on the defenses?”
“NO!” Becky jerked her hand away from her console as he lifted the ship and flew directly toward the East. The central display activated and Becky saw five green blips suddenly turn towards the ship and try to cut it off. Top pushed a handle slightly forward and the ship accelerated at an incredible rate. Top left the five ships behind him as he started the ship moving on a slight upward trajectory. The view on the display changed showing a huge green circle high above the ship.
“What’s that green circle on the scanner?”
Top didn’t look at her as he answered, “That’s a company warship moving above us in orbit to prevent us from escaping. Now be quiet!” Becky sat back and as Top moved the ship higher into the atmosphere he added more speed. When the ship arrived at the outer edge of Earth’s atmosphere, Top pushed the handle forward and the ship accelerated away from the warship in orbit like it was standing still; it flew past Camden’s closest moon five minutes later.
He put his hand on a box on the left-side of his console and pressed a button on top of it. The ship instantly went into hyperspace and the stars became streaks as the ship disappeared
from the Camden Star System.
Top turned his chair to Rebecca and glared at her. “What’s wrong?” Becky asked.
“When I went in the cabin you used your communicator to contact Rory Fletcher!!” Becky saw the anger on his face as she nodded. “Everything you told me is a lie and you’re working for Rory!! You’re despicable!” Becky stared at Top, then turned her head, and looked out of the viewport at stars flashing by the ship. Top snarled, “Don’t have anything to say for yourself?!!”
Becky turned to him, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“TRY ME!!”
Becky looked Top directly in the eyes and said, “I’ve never walked off a job in my life without telling my employer I was leaving. My brother told me to never dishonor anyone who hired me; they deserve respect for providing income for me to live. I contacted Rory and told him I was resigning from my position with Power Industries and that he would receive my formal resignation in a text message. I also asked him to tell Marlene goodbye for me.”
Top’s anger grew as he said, “Did you intercept the message.”
Becky heard a voice from a wall speaker, “Yes, I did.”
“Play it!” Top ordered.
Becky heard her voice over the wall speaker, “Mr. Fletcher, I’m contacting you to inform you of my resignation from Power Industries. Thank you for the opportunity and you’ll receive my written resignation in a text shortly. Please tell Marlene goodbye for me and thank her for being a wonderful friend. I wish you and your company the best of luck.”
Top stared at Becky and she said, “You took Rory’s call for the same reason. You wanted to tell him you were leaving.”
Top was still staring at Becky and then he lowered his eyes. Becky asked, “When were you going to tell me about the computer?” Top looked up and Becky raised a shoulder, “That didn’t sound like any computer I’ve ever seen.”
“What do you mean?” Top asked softly.
“When you asked if the call was recorded, the computer replied ‘Yes, I did.’ Any normal computer would have just said ‘yes’; that one
said ‘I’, which indicates it is a thinking machine.” Top was silent and Becky turned to the wall speaker, “If he won’t tell me, why don’t you introduce yourself?”
Becky waited and heard, “Top?”
“I’m still not certain I can trust her.”
“Why?” Becky asked.
“Because you caused those attack ships to come after us.” Top heard a loud buzzer and he shook his head. “Please tell me why I’m wrong?”
Writing suddenly appeared on the monitor. Becky began reading, “The attack ships were on the way before she called. Second, Fletcher didn’t send those attack ships so her call couldn’t have caused them to come.”
Top said gruffly, “Stop with the writing and tell me what you want to say.”
A voice said, “Further, the first thing Fletcher asked you is where you were; he didn’t know so there’s no way he could have sent those five ships into the mountains looking for us; that has to mean someone else sent those ships.”
Becky listened to the computer and said, “I didn’t control the ship’s weapons earlier, did I?”
Top stared at her and then said, “No, you didn’t. That was a video game.”
“Which means you knew my suggesting you needed me here to operate the weapons while you flew the ship was false.”
“That’s correct.”
“And you kept the existence of a highly advanced, artificial intelligence computer from me to ensure I didn’t tell Power Industries about it?”
“That is also true.”
“Then why didn’t you just leave me at the cabin?”
“Pete overruled me.”
“Pete?”
Top nodded, “That’s the computer’s name.”
Becky looked up, “Why did you overrule him?”
Top shrugged and said, “The cat is out of the bag now; you may
communicate with her, Pete.”
“I quickly determined that whoever sent those five ships in the mountains to find us weren’t known to Rory Fletcher. That meant they could be hostile and it wouldn’t be appropriate to leave you. There was a good possibility you’d be harmed.”
Becky’s expression showed her surprise, “Are you saying you know of instances of people being harmed by Power Industries?”
“Yes.”
“Why would they do that?”
“I’ve looked at all the data concerning confrontations between Power Industries and various individuals and companies. A remarkably high number of individuals that brought a lawsuit or complaint against the company have mysteriously disappeared. And since I determined Rory Fletcher didn’t know about the ships searching for us, it was best to keep you on the ship and drop you off later.”
“So you don’t think Rory had anything to do with those disappearances?”
“I don’t. Rory is insulated from the day-to-day business and I’ve not seen anywhere in the data that he even knew about the one’s that disappeared. Nor has he ever discussed them in any of his communications. If something bad is going on, it’s seventy percent odds of him not knowing it. I must also admit that I have no direct proof of Power Industries being directly involved in the disappearances, but the odds are they are.”
Becky turned to Top, “Did you know about this?” Top nodded. “And you didn’t tell Rory?”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t tell him if his pants were on fire if he didn’t notice it.”
“Why not?” Top was silent and Becky asked, “Does it have to do with the patent you lost to him?”
Top was still silent and Pete said, “You know that’s the reason, Top. Why don‘t you admit it.”
Becky’s eyes flew wide open and Top saw it, “What?”
“That computer just gave an opinion with out being asked for it; I didn’t know that’s possible!”
Top shook his head, “He can be a real pain in the backside too. However, he was right in overruling me on leaving you behind. I made a mistake in assuming you were Rory’s agent. I apologize for that.”
Becky chuckled and Top’s mouth tightened. “You don’t apologize very often, do you?”
“That would be never; even when he should!” Pete remarked.
Becky laughed and Top rolled his eyes, “I told you he could be a pain in the backside.”
“Why did you name him Peter?”
“That is a product of his being a computer. I decided to call him Puter but decided that was stupid. So, Peter sort of sounds like Puter and he liked the name.”
“How did you make a computer like this?”
Top shrugged, “I started with the best computer and incrementally improved it.”
“And how did you end up with this luxury yacht?”
“That was part of the contract for me to stay on with Power Industries.”
“Everyone talked about you losing a patent to Power Industries, but I’ve not heard why you lost it. What exactly did you lose?”
“The combining of metals such that they were enriched nuclear fuel.”
“You did that?” Top nodded.
“And he lost the patent in court because Power Industries claimed he used their facilities to develop the process and did it on company time,” Pete added.
“Was that true?” Becky asked.
Top shrugged, “When I was asked in court if I used any of the company’s facilities or labs to develop my patent, I knew the case was lost, because I did use the labs and laser units. The court awarded the patent to Rory and that was the end of it.”
“Something has you bothered; what is it?”
Top turned to Becky and said, “The judge in the proceedings is married to Rory’s wife’s sister. He didn’t recuse himself and it only came out after the trial that he should have.”
“Why didn’t you appeal the ruling?”
“That’s easy,” Peter interjected. “Four judges on the appeals panel are former employees of Power Industry.”
Becky frowned, “That isn’t fair!”
Top nodded, “Tell me about it.”
“So how did you end up with this yacht.”
“I told Rory’s attorney after the trial ended I was going to take my unused vacation days and he told me that was a good idea and that my employment status would be examined when I returned.”
“What happened?”
“Well, for some reason, the Power Industry scientists couldn’t get my invention to work.” Becky actually heard the computer laugh and shook her head. “When I returned from vacation, I was told to go to Rory’s office and he was waiting for me when I arrived.”
“How did that go?”
“I expected to be fired from my job and that was fine with me, but Rory surprised me.” Becky tilted her head and Top said, “He asked me if there was any way he could get me to stay with the company and make my invention work.”
“I’m sure you turned him down,” Becky remarked.
Top looked at her and said, “He told me that before I say no, to consider what my invention would mean to humanity. It would allow cheap unlimited power to all of humanity and provide the power an advanced civilization required to function. He told me that prices on power had risen for ten straight years and there were many families that could no longer afford it. I told him that he was only going to raise the price even further to line his pockets. He didn’t care a bit for the plight of poor people.”
Top was silent and Becky waited before saying, “And?”
“He promised me that he would lower electrical prices to a hundred credits a month from the current four hundred credits and not raise them. I laughed at him and said I’d have to be an idiot to believe him.”
“What happened?”
Top smiled, “I offended him more than I can say.” Top paused and said, “I’ve never witnessed Rory losing his temper at anything. But
this time his face turned red and he leaned over and stared into my face as he shouted at me that he had never broken his word or promises in his life and if he gave his word, he would keep it even if he lost everything doing it. He told me that helping humanity was the reason his father started the business and he would never do anything to make lives worse.” Top looked up in Becky’s eyes and he continued, “I could tell he was being honest and I asked him just how often he made promises. He replied very rarely and would avoid making one if at all possible. He finally looked at me and asked, ‘What will it take for you to help us develop this technology?’ I asked him what was he willing to give? He told me he would pay a ten million bonus if I could get the technology operating along with a million credits a year to act as a consultant to his scientists.”
“Where did this yacht come in?”
“I told him that wasn’t enough. He told me to tell him what was enough and I proceeded to do so. I told him I wanted the basement floor deeded to me personally and that a full lab would be put in it. Further, the yacht in the basement would be deeded to me and I would make it my personal residence; anything I developed in the basement would belong to me!”
“What did he say?”
“Well first he contacted his accountant and asked about the yacht in the basement. He thought it had been sold because he didn’t like the kitchen in it and he bought a new yacht. The accountant told him that by keeping it in the basement and declaring it as a loss would make more money than selling it.”
“Well, we’re on that ship so he agreed to your offer.” Top nodded. “Why couldn’t his scientists get your invention to work?”
Top smiled, “The fusion process wouldn’t work without the operator wearing special gloves with Candium embedded in them. I patented the process but I didn’t patent the gloves. I told him about the gloves and the machines worked flawlessly after they were used to operate them.”
“And he kept his word to you?”
Top nodded, “He did and then some. He told me that I could not be fired and that I would have to resign to leave. Further, the lab he
put in the basement was state of the art including a laser testing unit.”
“So why do you not like him?”
“They stole my patent by manipulating the court system; that’s not something I will forgive.” Top paused and said, “I recognize that my invention would have taken years for me to find someone to assist me in manufacturing it and I would have had to use a company very much like Power Industries to bring it to market. I also realize that a lot of people would be helped by Power Industries getting it out far faster than I could.” Top paused and said, “I can’t really be angry at Rory for taking me to court. I never would have come up with the process without using their labs and facilities. That realization is what led to me accepting their offer.”
“Do you think you would have lost if the judge was unbiased?”
Top raised a shoulder and replied, “Probably.”
Becky sat back and said, “I have two more questions if you don’t mind?” Top nodded. “Where did you get the name Top and why do you dislike pretty women?”
Peter laughed out loud over the speaker and Top’s face turned red and he looked at the wall speaker, “You should just shut up. And besides, I don’t dislike pretty women!”
Becky shook her head, Yes, you do!” Top turned to her and Becky said, “I’ve watched you in meetings and you do appear to get along with most everyone…..except with any pretty or beautiful women in the meeting.”
“Get out of here; that’s not true!”
“When a pretty woman speaks during the meeting, you always frown at them and don’t listen to them. You treated me with respect but you never once smiled when I brought you your mail. I could see you wanted me to just leave you alone.” Top frowned and Becky added, “I looked in personnel records and found the name on your file was just Top, nothing else. Is that your birth name?”
“You should tell her; plus, I’d like to know as well,” Peter commented.
Top sat back and said, “My grandfather’s name was Thomas Oliver Palmer and everyone called him Thomas. My father’s name
was Thomas Oliver Palmer Junior and everyone called him Oliver. My name is also Thomas Oliver Palmer the third and the family disagreed about what to call me. My father suggested I be called Trey and my mother told him no child of hers would ever be called a number. They finally decided to call me by my initials, T.O.P. The name stuck but it caused me some issues.”
“Such as?” Peter asked.
Top frowned at the wall speaker and said, “I remember the first day of school in the first grade and the teacher called the role. She called my birth name several times and I didn’t answer. She decided to try it another way and called out the remaining names on the list. She then asked who hadn’t heard their name called out and I raised my hand. She looked at me and asked, ‘What is your name?’ and I told her Top. She frowned and said, ‘Your name is Thomas Oliver Palmer the third.’ I looked at her like she had two heads and she sighed as she turned and threw the class roll on her desk and didn’t even slow down as she turned to face the class. She said, ‘Alright, I’ll call you Top.’”
Top paused and then continued, “After school that day, I was waiting in line to go to my parent’s car when the prettiest girl in my class and one of her friends walked up and smiled. She said, ‘So your name is Top?’ All I could do was nod and smile; I was tongue tied. She laughed and said, ‘Well, you certainly had the teacher spinning like a top. See you in class tomorrow.’”
“You say she was the prettiest girl in class?” Becky asked.
“Her name was Loree Barber and she was absolutely beautiful and she only grew more beautiful as we grew up.” Becky was silent and Top said, “All of our classmates made fun of us calling us boy and girl friends, but she never denied it and I certainly didn’t.”
“What happened?” Peter asked.
“I loved her so much and on the last day of school in the ninth grade just before we entered secondary school, Loree met me outside the building and told me that her father had been promoted and she was having to move to another town and they would be leaving the next day. I asked her why she didn’t tell me sooner and she said, ‘I wanted to enjoy all the time I had remaining.’ I was
devastated and I told her we could be together after high school and go to college together.” Top paused and shook his head.
“What did she say?” Becky asked.
“She looked me in the eyes and asked, ‘Are you suggesting I not have another boyfriend until after high school?’ I told her yes and she laughed as she told me, ‘Well I am not going to go without a boyfriend. And I have no intentions of going to college. I’m sure you’ll find someone else and be fine.’ She kissed me on the cheek and walked out of my life; she didn’t even shed a tear.” Neither Becky nor Peter said anything. Top lowered his eyes, “She didn’t love me; she simply used me like a little puppy chasing her looking for approval.”
Becky was shaking her head slightly as she asked, “Did you ever see her again?” Top kept his head down and Becky said, “You did see her again, didn’t you?” Top looked up at her and nodded.
Chapter Three
Top lowered his eyes before looking up at Becky, “Do you remember during some of the meetings that Rory would hand all of us a list of possible charities the company would make donations to garner positive press coverage?” Becky nodded. “Well, about a year ago right after you were hired, I looked through the list and most of those at the top of the list were charitable companies or organizations and that was where most of the donations went to get the most bang for the buck in press coverage.” Top sat back in his chair, “Well, I looked at the entire list and found individual families that were considered deserving of charitable donations.”
Top paused and Becky said, “Go on, please.”
Top shook his head slightly as he said, “I found a family on the list and the woman listed was Loree B. Chambliss. The spelling was exactly like Loree’s name instead of Laurie like most women’s name. With B after Loree, I wondered if it could possibly be her. I looked at the information associated with the name and saw that Mrs. Chambliss was living in public housing trying to raise three children with a disabled husband. She worked at night as a waitress and took care of her children as much as she could during the day with whatever help her husband could give her. The information said donations of food and clothing were really needed and would be greatly appreciated by the family.”
“What did you do?” Peter asked.
“I decided to find out if it was her.”
Peter commented, “You never had me look up any data on her.”
“I decided to find out on my own. So, I put on one of my white lab coats, put on a pair of black rimmed glasses, wore a hat over my hair, and went to her address.”
“Why did you do that?” Becky asked.
Top shrugged, “Do you know you can pretty much go anywhere if you’re wearing a white lab coat and carrying a clip board? I’ve gotten in numerous concerts doing exactly that, making sure I interviewed the security guards first before going in.”
Becky chuckled and Top continued. “I rang the doorbell and Loree
answered the door holding a two-year old baby. It was her……and she didn’t recognize me.”
“What happened?” Peter asked.
“I told her I was with the Census Bureau and asked if she had time to answer some questions. I asked her several questions and learned her husband had fallen off a ladder damaging his back, hip, and knee. The company where he worked didn’t offer insurance and they couldn’t afford to pay for the surgery needed to correct his issues. The company fired him when he couldn’t go back to work leaving Loree as the sole breadwinner.” Top paused and said, “I saw in her eyes that she really loved him and suffered from his pain.”
Top was silent for a long moment and said, “Life was not kind to her; she was old before her time. Her face had wrinkles next to her eyes and she was really thin. It was clear she wasn’t eating properly and her eyes looked tired. I heard another child start screaming inside the apartment and she told me she had to go. I told her I’d come back later and she nodded as she closed the door.”
“Why didn’t you tell her who you are?” Peter asked. Top looked at the speaker in silence and Peter added, “She might have let you back in her life.”
“That would never happen,” Top remarked.
“Why not?”
“Because I saw the love she had for her husband in her eyes and I would never disrespect her feelings that way.”
“What did you do?” Becky asked.
“What makes you think I did something?” Top asked.
“What did you do?” Becky repeated.
Top sighed and said, “I got my best friend Cole Hall to set up an account in the bank he managed and go see her. He told her that an anonymous donor was giving her family a gift and that the donor did not want to be known. If she tried to find out who it was, she would forfeit all remaining funds. She agreed and signed for a checkbook and bank card giving her access to the funds.”
They were silent and Peter finally said, “Well, if Rebecca isn’t going to ask, how much did you give her?”
Top raised a shoulder, “A total of five million but close to two
million was used to pay the taxes on the money leaving her with about three and a half million tax-free credits in the account.”
“That’s half of the bonus you were paid to stay on with Power Industries!” Peter remarked.
“She needed it far more than I do.” Top replied. Peter didn’t respond and Top said, “I know you have something to say, so spit it out!”
“Why would you do that after she callously walked away from you?”
Becky said softly, “He didn’t do it for her; he did it for him.”
Top turned to her, “How do you know that?”
Becky hesitated and then asked, “Did the two of you ever discuss your futures together?”
“Yes, we would dream about how our lives would be filled with happiness.”
“And I suspect you promised you would support her and your children and that life would be wonderful, right?” Top nodded. “Top, you’re a lot like Rory.” Top’s eyes instantly narrowed. “Before you get wound up, when you saw her standing in that door, did you not think about what her life would have been if she was with you?” Top was glaring at Becky but then his expression softened and he nodded. “And you blamed yourself for not going after her when you could have after you graduated and now here she was suffering because you couldn’t bring yourself to find her. You gave her that money to keep the promises you made to her when the two of you would dream about the future.”
Top lowered his head and said softly, “I gave up on her and let her walk away without doing anything but hating her for not really caring about me.”
“Well, you’re right and you’re wrong about that, Top?” Becky commented. Top’s head jerked up and Becky quickly said, “You told me she was the prettiest girl in your class, right?” Top nodded. “So, she could have pretty much picked anyone she wanted for a boyfriend, true?”
“I guess so.” Top replied.
“But she never chose anyone else, Top. She stayed with you all
the way up to the time she was forced to leave and you do understand she was forced to leave, don’t you.”
“Why did she do that if she didn’t care about him?” Peter asked.
“She stayed with him because no one else could make her as happy as he did. But one thing you haven’t considered, Top.”
“What’s that?” Top asked.
“She was only fifteen years old, Top! Girls aren’t mature enough at that age to think about anything but having a good time and enjoying their life. It’s only when they’re seventeen or eighteen years old that they focus on a loving relationship and even then, more than ninety percent of high school relationships fail because a woman’s mind isn’t fully developed until she’s in her mid-twenties. Many relationships fail at that time because the woman is different and her wants and needs change until she’s fully mature.”
“Then how do you explain my loving her so much?”
“Because she was your first love and boys are different than girls. You and she were together when you went through puberty and all the feelings and emotions that come out of that you attributed to her. You physically desired her so much, which is natural, and you ascribed those feelings to her. My brother told me that a man never forgets his first love. But he readily admitted he wouldn’t take her back to replace Mattie. Loree represented the best times in your life, Top. But she isn’t the same girl now; she’s a woman who will never be what you remember.”
Peter commented, “It sounds to me like you’re talking about a personal experience. Did you callously break some boy’s heart as well?”
Becky looked at the speaker and then turned to Top, “You’re right, he can be a pain in the backside!”
Top laughed and then asked, “Is Pete right?”
Becky sighed, “Yes, he is. I had a boyfriend in junior high and I told him that we needed to move on.”
“Why did you do that?” Pete asked.
“Because he was the jealous type and I liked everyone I met. It just got old and I decided to end it. Besides, I was leaving for college and didn’t see any way to continue the relationship.” Becky
