“Dad, you still haven’t told me where we’re going,” Samara pointed out as she worked to keep up with her father. His stride had been abnormally brisk for a man who always made the most of his time. The drive to the park didn’t bring out this level of haste before. There was something about the sight of Githkin in the area that made him uneasy. The aliens were docile enough to completely avoid; the only other time she saw them was at her desk at Galatec’s headquarters. As long as they weren’t on a manhunt, they could almost easily be completely ignored. That didn’t seem enough for her father, who didn’t stop for several more steps. The well-dressed man with suit and tie turned to look his daughter in the eye as his own became tense.
“Dad?” Henry’s lips quivered as if prepared to respond, but he gave the surrounding area another once-over. It was a beautiful five ‘o clock with the sun’s rays blessing the green-filled area with its warmth. Families were playing with their children. A Labrador leapt up high to catch a descending Frisbee. A man just behind them was continuing to sell ice cream, and from this distance he could still make out the logo of Galatec on the side of the stand. This was a day like any other, so why did it feel like things could all go south the minute he went through with this?
“Sorry sweetheart,” Henry faced Samara again, placing his hands firmly atop her shoulders.
“I just had to make sure everything would go well today.”“Which is?” Samara lightly shook her head, leaning it forward.
“You were looking around like we might have been…” her voice trailed off, with the lids of her eyes closing slightly. It was beginning to make sense now. The last few days involved him asking her questions about the state of the world. She didn’t disagree that the peace was nice, but was vocal about how it stunted the growth of humanity and the other races that occupied New Earth. It should change, Samara stood by that each time he asked her.
“Dad, are we being followed?”“No, we are not being followed.” Henry reassured as clearly and concise as possible, preventing Samara from having any doubts.
“I brought you here for an opportunity to help people in a way I can’t, not without limiting you.”“What’s that mean?”“What that means is that you have the chance to put that self-taught mind to better use. I’ve met with someone in Galatec who shares our mutual concerns about the state of the world—our world.” Henry said.
“I’m a man of storytelling and good will. I was never able to handle technology as swiftly and precisely as you. Your talents can help in ways mine cannot.” Samara’s confusion was plain as day, but the will to ask questions, while strong, wasn’t strong enough to interrupt him. Her father was a good man with good intentions each time, so she had no reason not to trust that whatever he was introducing her to was beneficial for the people they cared about. Her nod of understanding came slow, but she needed more.
“I just read a lot of books growing up dad. What we talked about was between us, like you wanted. Who is this person?”“Someone who shares our concern.”“And who is that someone, dad?” Henry paused.
“Look past my shoulder. About thirty more steps ahead, sitting on the bench across from the elderly man feeding pigeons. You can't miss them.”Samara had done so as casually as possible, narrowing her eyes searchingly for the person in question. There was only one elderly man feeding pigeons, and directly across from them was a person both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
“Dad, that’s—““The middle-manager of Galatec, yes.”Samara pulled back to look him in the eye, confused. It took all she had not to raise her voice in outrage.
“You’re trusting how we really feel to someone who’s that close to the upper chain? How do we know this isn’t a trap to punish us?”“Now you see why I was looking around,” Henry smiled despite the severity of the situation. He knew that, if this middle manager was lying, it could mean the end of their comfortable position in society. It was a risk he was willing to take.
“I chose this location, this time, this date. And I did not decide this easily. They value your diligence and attitude. You come to work each and every day ready and willing to get a job done, and that’s exactly what’s helped me convince my bosses to keep your mother and sisters out of hard labor.”Samara would have smiled, but it didn’t seem an appropriate time to do so. Her father didn’t proceed with anything unless he had knowledge on it.
“Public place, middle of the day, popular enough to be a coincidence.”“Exactly. I thought it through.” She sighed.
“Normally I’d be excited to move up in the world, but there’s little to gain from it. What do they plan to do?”“Save the world,” Henry let his hands fall from her shoulders as he revealed to Samara the truth. It was not nearly as simple as it sounded, but he was counting on that. When her mind was put to something it did not stop racing until she was satisfied, and this was something she’d be sitting on for a very long time.
“And to save the world, they need to assemble a team. It isn’t too late to back out—““No, no, no,” Samara shook her head.
“You don’t get to drop a bomb that big and then pull the not too late card on me. Let’s meet them.”“So you’ll go through with it?”“I’m going to talk to them, see what they’re really like and if we can trust them,” Samara took the lead now, moving past her father and briskly walking towards the middle-manager of Galatec just ahead.
“I just need to think. Keep up, dad!” Henry laughed quietly as he worked to do so, his enthusiasm for a task not at all a match for hers. This road to New Earth’s salvation would begin with people just like her.
Taka
Dane
erikh