SIREN

Chapter Twenty-Six

I was roused by the sound of something wet sloshing around. The rhythmic slop and slap made me gag. I threw my head to the side and opened my eyes.

Jaq was standing over me with her outline blocking most the light. 'Lève-toi!' she snapped, and went back to chewing her gum.

'Ce qui s'est passé?' I moaned as I sat upright. I raised my hand to rub my forehead but hit my visor.

'Is your team member impaired?' said The Conductor. He was on top of his cell, stretching his neck over the side.

'No, he's fine. I think fatigue caught up with him. All he needed was a nap.'

'Sleep is important,' The Conductor agreed and withdrew his head, disappearing from sight.

I looked up at Jaq and said, 'you didn't answer my question.'

'Ah, oui,' she snatched my hand and yanked me to my feet. Jaq put one of her slender arms around my shoulders and waved her hand at our surroundings. 'As you can see, we've been very busy.'

The room was empty, asides from the holographic projector and the three of us. 'Where are Sam and Hoshi?' I asked, pulling away from Jaq's embrace.

'They went for a walk. Sam wanted to tell her about all the cool things you encountered.' She fiddled with a buckle on her chest and crossed her arms. 'I think he's trying to impress her.'

I ignored her comment and tottered over to The Conductor's metallic machine. Hovering just inches from the tip of the projector was a perfect three-dimensional replica of Earth. It wasn't more than three feet across, but the sight of it brought me to tears. The clouds, the oceans, the continents and the mountains of our glorious planet were all there in exquisite detail. I swayed to the right, trying to keep my composure, but it was quickly lost as I rushed to find my beloved country.

With tears streaming down my cheeks, I found England and stared at the tiny isle. 'I know this might sound ridiculous, but is this live?'

'Actually, yes,' Jaq ambled over to me, swaying her hips, 'The Conductor said it would be reassuring for us to see it. Earth is still in one piece, which is good news, yes?'

I sniffed and gasped. My heart was racing. 'I've missed it so much. Oh, I'm so ready to come home.'

Jaq pointed at a collection of black clouds just off the coast of Spain. Sparks of lightning burst through the fog, illuminating the beaches below. 'Looks like a storm is brewing.'

'I'd love to be there,' I said, imagining the feel of rain on my face. I'd been in sterile ship interiors for what felt like an eternity. Subjecting myself to a tempest sounded like paradise.

'You'd be swept away! Look at the size of it!'

'Don't you miss the rain?'

'I miss the sun. I miss having a tan.'

'What about snow?' I said, 'don't you miss that?'

Jaq hooted, 'I hate the cold! You know that!'

'Yeah, but...' I glanced at the twirling globe and felt a flutter in my gut, 'don't you miss the horrible things, too?'

'I miss my cat,' Jaq said as she fidgeted on the spot.

I caught her distress and said, 'how long have I been out?'

'Hours. Doctor White said you were okay, and you needed your rest. We didn't move you because we didn't want to wake you.'

'Has the Captain come back?'