The Ones That Don't Return

Junior-Captain Carter Trulove swirled the amber whiskey around the bottom of his glass while shifting on the bar stool of the Solar Café. Huffing with exasperation, he glanced up at the clock behind the bar.

He's late, Carter thought.

Glancing back at his All-In-One, he traced a finger through the ribbon of digital video frames that hovered an inch above the AIO's display.

Memories of his life blurred by with every swipe of his finger. Most of them contained images of him and an attractive woman with chestnut hair, a dimpled chin, and captivating blue eyes.

Carter found the one he was looking for, a frozen frame focused on the woman's face. She was smiling up at the camera, her eyes holding their own soft light.

He often spent free time staring into those eyes. Those eyes, Emily's eyes, were so full of love and life, and that smile was for him alone. He couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in his core when he looked at this particular picture.

He jumped when a klaxon wailed, and the bustling crowd around him silenced awaiting the announcement over the PA system.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm. A security incident has been detected in the Research and Development department. For your safety, this area is temporarily off limits. Security personnel are working to resolve this incident. Thank you."

The crowd paused for a moment longer before resuming their various activities, as if the interruption had never occurred.

The R&D department, Carter thought. Emily.

A spike of anxiety shot through him.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered.

"What's that?" a man asked. He was seated on the bar stool next to Carter's.

"Nothing," Carter said. "Just speaking out loud."

The man narrowed his eyes before swaying on his seat. He hiccuped once, then his furrowed brow melted into a warm smile. A very warm smile complete with a cherry nose on top. A pair of reddened cheeks complimented the nose, peeking out through a tangle of grey beard and shoulder-length silver hair.

He raised a hand and plopped it down onto Carter's shoulder. Carter did his best not to wince at the stranger's touch.

"Ya' know, it ain't all bad. Not really sure what yer' going through, but nobody should have a look like that on their face," the man said with a somber expression.

Amused, Carter turned to face the man.

"And what if this is just the way I look?" Carter asked, keeping all traces of humor from his face.

The man released a hearty belly laugh that made Carter want to join in.

"Well, if that's the case you may just have a reason after all," the man said.

Carter allowed his mouth to tug up at the corners.

"What has ya' all in a twist? I'll buy ya' a drink if ya' wanna' talk about it."

Carter considered the man's offer, then nodded once.

The man whooped and smacked the bar top with his palm.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. Barkeep, lemme' get two." He held up two fingers as his head swayed one way and then the other.

He moved his upraised fingers in front of his face, his eyes narrowing in concentration, then shoved them back at the barkeep. He leaned over and whispered something to Carter, trying to make his words inaudible.