March Home

/3/

The hovercraft arrived. The ramp lowered. Jo was supposed to embark, but it was all so strange and overwhelming, how she got to this moment. In her heart, she knew who to blame for Beth's condition—them—but logistically, it was a lot more complicated.

The Tau-Cetians began destroying everyone they could find and everything of value when the human race didn't immediately surrender. Once the "big guns" were out of ammunition, the clever scientists in Sector-4 released their weapon—HSV-10. And it seemed to do the trick. The Tau-Cetians had no immunity to Herpes and humans weren't contracting this particular strain. But, over time, it picked up Tau-Cetian genetic material—DNAt—and HSV-11 ensued, and it essentially killed over half of everyone.

The Tau-Cetians didn't experience a zombie state, but they were still significantly more susceptible. It made them willing to negotiate. Sector-4 began their efforts to clean up the mess they created. And the Warlords hated everybody. They would never forgive or forget—those who came, those who failed, those who yielded, and anyone who challenged their authority. They were a blight to all progress. And for that reason, it was wise to accept "help" when it was offered. The hovercraft would get Jo across Warlord-controlled territory and into Sector-4 in hours rather than days.

Jo was an emotional creature, but she was also fair-minded and forward-looking. With Laurie by her side, his rifle slung over his shoulder, she stepped on board at his nod of readiness and fastened her safety harness.

The Tau-Cetians were congenial hosts...when it served their own interests. Her appetite was sated for the first time in recent memory. Laurie was sullen and distracted, but she tried not to take it personally. Jo assumed he was taking his "guard duty" seriously.

For a while, she watched the barren landscape whiz by her window seat, but before long, her exhaustion set in. She hadn't slept well in years.

As her eyes drifted closed, another complication presented itself, one there was no quick or tidy way out of.

"Jo, I have something to tell you..."

"Can it wait?" she asked, peeking one eye open.

He had to know she was joking, but he didn't react like he usually did—with some quip back. "I, uh, well...?"

His skin was flushed. He kept moving, not able to decide how to sit or where to look, even though Jo was staring at him with increasingly wide eyes.

"It's about the Tau-Cetians," he started again.

"Isn't it always?" She gestured to the technologically advanced "luxury" around them.

"Yeah," he agreed, finally cracking a smile. "My grandfather is sending me to their space station for some advanced training. I'm not sure how long I'll be there. I'm leaving from Sector-4 as soon as we drop you off."

"Oh..."

It was a blow to the gut, but she tried to see the bright side, and not let her disappointment show.

Carefully selected humans were now "welcomed" into their domain for various "enrichment opportunities." He'd be safer there and better educated, and she wondered why he didn't seem more excited.

For Jo, it was like Harvard all over again, but this time, it mattered. The alternatives were scant and grim.

"I don't want to go," he then divulged.

"Why is that? There's nothing for you here."

"You're here."

"And I'll be here when you get back!"

He chuckled and shook his head, like she was an idiot. "Will you be? Like you are now? You could be dead, or..."

"Or, what?"

"Taken."

"Taken," she repeated, aghast. "Me? Where? And by whom? Are we talking about being abducted by aliens? Because no man is that crazy!"

"You'd be surprised. How crazy we can be when..."

"When, what? Why won't you finish any sentences today?"

He grabbed her hand from the armrest and squeezed it. "I love you. And I just want to know, if I leave, you'll wait for me. You'll marry me when I get back."

"Marry you?" Jo tugged her hand free. It was the wrong thing to do, but she couldn't help it. It was a reflex reaction. "In this world?"

"I know it's not the right time or place, but someday. There's hope for a better future, and there's no one I'd rather spend that future with."

"Laurie..." She sighed. "I..."

It was her turn to explain. To finish the sentence that she started.

She had plenty of time to say something, but, then again, the landscape changed. There were skyscrapers again, taller and brighter than she was used to, and they were in decent condition.

Maybe there was hope left in the world, but that made her feelings for Laurie less clear.

The hovercraft slowed down abruptly. Jo's lunch moved to her throat, and she lost her train of thought. Before she could figure out up from down, they landed on the helipad, and she was disembarking.

Three people in suits were there waiting for them. The one who looked the sharpest and most distinguished stepped forward. "Jo March?"

"Is that Dr. Bhaer?" Laurie whispered to her. "She's..." He was at a loss for words again, and it was hard to blame him.

Jo's mouth was probably agape too, but she was too stunned to care. "A woman?"