Impulse, page 26
part #12 of First Colony Series
“I’m glad he’s alive,” Connor said quietly.
“Me, too,” Lenora replied. “I don’t even want to imagine it any other way.”
Diaz soon returned, and Connor insisted he take his chair while he went to retrieve another one. The three of them sat there while Isaac slept, and it felt like the first time they’d sat down in days.
33
Two weeks after Isaac returned to Sanctuary, he’d finally taken his placement tests for Sierra’s medical program. He thought he’d done well but didn’t know the results yet.
He rode the elevator at the Colonial Research Institute and got out on the seventh floor, walking down the corridor toward Dr. Rostova’s office. In order to complete his internship, he had to meet with her for an exit interview. He hadn’t seen her since they’d been rescued. They all needed time to sort things out. He had nightmares that woke him, but he found that staying busy helped.
He stopped outside Dr. Rostova’s door and knocked. The door opened and he was face-to-face with Dr. Townsend.
“Mr. Diaz, won’t you join us?” he said.
Isaac frowned in confusion and walked into the office.
Dr. Rostova gestured toward the chair across from her desk, and Dr. Townsend sat next to Isaac.
“I thought this was my exit interview,” Isaac said.
Dr. Townsend arched an eyebrow. “Wondering why I’m here?”
Isaac nodded. “You did kick me out of the program.”
Dr. Townsend snorted. “I may have been a little rash in my inclination to adhere to a tight schedule.”
Isaac blinked and his lips twitched. “Are you apologizing?”
“Never. I’m merely rectifying a misjudgment on my part, but I will say that you’ve thrived under Dr. Rostova.”
“Uh, thanks, I think,” Isaac replied and scratched the back of his head.
Dr. Rostova leaned forward, and her blue eyes crinkled on the edges as she smiled. “Normally, for these types of interviews, we’d have a discussion about your experience and discuss your future. But we can all agree that this whole incident was much more than any of us could have imagined. During our time in Shetrian before the attack, I’d noted some of my thoughts on your performance. They’re part of my recommendation for you.”
“I’ve added a few things to your recommendation as well,” Dr. Townsend said.
“You did?” Isaac replied and pressed his lips together. “We get along like oil and water.”
Dr. Townsend chuckled. “You’re right; we do. However, that doesn’t preclude me from acting in a professional manner. You’re allowed to review your recommendation. I don’t think anything I’ve written would offend you, but given our history, I understand your reticence.”
“I won’t forget what you did for me,” Isaac said to Dr. Townsend. The stuffy professor had inserted himself into one of Isaac’s interactions with Koukax. In his own way, Dr. Townsend had looked out for him.
“Don’t mention it,” Dr. Townsend said and shrugged. “Given what you did after, one might say you’ve paid me back in spades.”
He stood up, and Isaac did as well. Dr. Townsend extended his hand, and Isaac shook it.
“Good luck, Isaac, with everything you do. I hope you have great success,” Dr. Townsend said as he opened the door and left the office.
Isaac stared at the door for a second and then sat back down.
“I’ve never seen him do that,” Dr. Rostova said.
“Agent Franklin did say he could be friendly sometimes,” he said.
She frowned a little and then smiled.
“How’s he doing?” he asked.
She arched a blonde eyebrow. “Why ask me?”
“Aren’t you and him… I don’t know… close maybe?”
She grinned. “You’re the only person I’d let get away with that. Once,” she said and paused for a moment. “Hunter and I are complicated. He has a stubborn knack for getting into things, and that’s all I’m willing to say about it.”
“Okay,” Isaac said with a nod.
“I have your test scores, and they’re definitely competitive to gain entry into the medical program at Sierra. Considering that, along with your recommendations, I’d say a slot is yours for the taking,” she said and smiled.
Isaac inhaled deeply and sighed. “Thank you. That’s great news,” he said, and his lack of enthusiasm wasn’t lost on Dr. Rostova.
Her eyebrows pushed forward. “I thought that was what you wanted. You certainly earned it with all your hard work.”
“I had some help.”
She nodded. “You and Ms. Kingston.”
Isaac smiled and bobbed his head once.
“Are you having second thoughts about the program?”
He shook his head and then pursed his lips. “I don’t know. I mean, with all that’s happened, I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”
“Oh, that’s fine. Believe me, there’s no rush. You should take as much time as you need. You can defer enrollment,” she said.
“Thanks for that. And thank you so much for giving me this chance. You didn’t have to do that. I just want you to know that I really appreciate it.”
She smiled again. “You’re one of the good ones, Isaac. It was a genuine pleasure, and if you ever need anything, you know where to reach me.”
Isaac left her office and walked down the empty corridor, stopping by one of the wide windows to look out at the campus. A text message chimed on his wrist computer.
Are you coming? Ella asked.
On my way, he wrote back.
Isaac summoned the elevator and took it down to the main floor. He walked out of the building and saw Ella waiting for him by the fountain, but when he saw a man standing off to the side, his eyes widened. The man wore a hat and a tan Field Ops uniform.
“Agent Franklin,” Isaac said and then winced, glancing around. “Did I just give away your disguise?”
Agent Franklin grinned. “You outed me. Come over here for a second.”
Isaac walked over to him.
“You can call me Hunter, you know. I figure we’re friends now.”
“All right.”
“How have you been?”
“Me? You’re the one who had ryklars trying to fillet your skin. How are you doing?”
Hunter smiled. “I’m fine. Healing treatments are going well. It isn’t the first time I’ve been hurt like that.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“You’d be smart not to,” Hunter said and smiled. “I won’t keep you long, not with her waiting,” he said and inclined his chin toward Ella. “I heard you got accepted into Sierra’s medical program. Congratulations.”
Isaac frowned. “I just got my placement scores a few minutes ago. I haven’t even submitted my application yet.”
The CIB agent shrugged. “Isaac, they’re going to take you. You could say your spot is assured.”
“Did you—”
He shook his head. “No. Are you kidding? I didn’t have to. A lot of people are aware of what you did.”
“Oh,” Isaac said. “I don’t know what to think about that.”
“Don’t worry about it. When you go there, I’d like to check in on you sometime.”
Isaac smiled. “That would be great.”
“What happened can have a way of weighing down on a person. Being around friends helps. It’ll just take time, all right?”
“My father says the same thing.”
Hunter smiled. “That’s because it’s true.”
Isaac pressed his lips together for a moment. “Do the nightmares stop?”
Hunter regarded him somberly. “Yes, they will, mostly.”
Isaac inhaled and nodded.
“I think the medical program would be good for you. You can certainly handle yourself under pressure.”
“Thanks.”
“Another option for you to consider is the CIB.”
Isaac blinked at him in surprise. “An agent? Me?”
“Yeah, why not? You’ve got the right instincts for it. Sometimes people freeze up when they’re in danger. It happens to most people, but others are different. They can still take action, and sometimes waiting to act is just as important. You’ve got what it takes. Look, it’s just something to think about.”
“I will,” Isaac replied and meant it.
Hunter leaned toward him. “It doesn’t have to be the bureau or the medical program. Both work.”
He gave Isaac a playful shot in the arm. “Enough future talk for one day.” He twitched his head toward Ella waiting for him by the fountain. “Don’t keep her waiting.”
Isaac grinned. “Dr. Rostova’s upstairs, you know.”
Hunter waggled his eyebrows once. “Why do you think I’m here?” He tossed a wave in Ella’s direction as he headed inside the building.
Isaac walked to the nearby fountain. It had five stone tiers carved in a floral relief at the edges and a golden replica of New Earth on top. Water cascaded down from the globe to a large reservoir at the bottom.
The afternoon sunlight gleamed off the water sending eddies of light on Ella’s long dark hair. She’d dipped one of her hands into the cool water for a moment, and smiled at him.
“Who was that?” she asked, and stood up.
“That was Agent Franklin.”
“Oh, I didn’t recognize him,” she said and shrugged. “Well, are you going to tell me?”
“About what?”
She punched him lightly in the arm. “Your scores, silly.”
Isaac smiled with half his mouth.
She stared at him for a moment and then her eyebrows lifted. “You got in. You did it.”
Isaac chuckled and then nodded. “Well, not officially, but yeah, I did. Thanks to you.”
“I just helped at the end. You did the hard part. I’m so happy for you. We’ll be study partners,” Ella said, her eyes twinkling.
“We’ll be more than that,” he said and grabbed her hand, pulling her closer to him.
Ella smiled, lifted her mouth toward his, and kissed him.
It was a good kiss. Her lips were soft and gentle and explored his in gentle surges.
“It took you long enough,” she said, her dark eyes twinkling.
“But worth the wait, right?”
She pursed her lips for a moment, and kissed him again.
34
Connor walked out of his home office and headed outside. Noah, Kara, and Lenora stood in front of a holoscreen that displayed a couple of data windows.
Diaz walked over to him. “They’re still talking about the data they retrieved from that bunker. What did Nathan say about the investigation?”
“The Mekaal are still holding the prisoners. Their joint investigation indicates that this was a rogue group acting without any authorization from the Konus government.”
Diaz puffed out a breath. “Either they’re all extremely dedicated, or they’re telling the truth. I don’t like it.”
“Me either. This was well planned and executed. Koukax was high up in the Konus military. He had connections, and we can’t get around the fact that he had help from a faction of Mekaal. They’re still chasing those leads.”
“So, the Konus just get away with it?”
“What do you suggest? We just start dropping bombs on them?”
Diaz shook his head. “No, but there needs to be some accountability.”
“I agree, but it’s going to take time,” Connor replied.
The others stopped speaking and looked at Connor expectantly. They knew who he’d been meeting with.
“They’re still investigating. There are rogue factions at work in both the Konus and Mekaal cities. Our security measures are being addressed. The explosion didn’t destroy the embassy, but it did cause some damage.”
“What about the infertility cure?” Lenora asked.
“They’re moving forward with testing it and making information about it available to the Mekaal. The Konus are interested in it as well, but they’ll need to give a few concessions before those discussions occur,” Connor said.
“What kind of concessions?” Noah asked.
“Open travel between the Konus and Mekaal, and a colonial embassy established in Renoya, as well as Mekaal and Konus embassies in Sierra.”
“At least they’re not in Sanctuary,” Diaz said.
“The only way things will improve is if we keep the lines of communication open,” Noah said.
“That’s fine and good, but it also gives us a foothold to keep an eye on them,” Diaz replied.
Noah looked at Connor.
“He’s right. That’s all part of it,” Connor replied. “This infertility cure isn’t without its risks or drawbacks. They have strong feelings about it. There’s no easy solution, but I do think it’s interesting that the Ovarrow pushing for it are mostly female.”
“That is interesting. I wonder why that is,” Noah said.
“You’re not a woman, sweetheart,” Kara said.
“Thanks for noticing,” Noah replied and smiled.
“Do you want to be a father?” Kara asked.
“Of course, just not right now.”
Kara’s lips twitched. “I feel the same way, but we do have urges. It’s hardwired into us.” She looked at Lenora.
“Oh yeah,” Lenora agreed. “It also doesn’t hurt that babies are cute. I can just eat them right up.”
Noah nodded. “All right, I understand and given that they’re worried about their survival it all makes a little more sense. I just hope we’re not helping them to create more problems in the long run.”
“It’s not up to us,” Connor said. “They’re going to do it regardless.”
Lenora nodded. “At least if we help them now, it might help them avoid any major pitfalls.”
“The other thing that’s being talked about is allowing Ovarrow to defect, to become a member of the opposing nation-state,” Connor said.
“I thought that was frowned upon,” Noah said.
“It is, but given what’s happened, there are groups of Ovarrow that prefer to live differently. There are Konus who wish to join the Mekaal and the same the other way around.”
Diaz shook his head.
Noah grinned. “Don’t worry, this will all be normal in another twenty or thirty years.”
“You’re probably right about that. So, how’s the data analysis going?” Connor asked.
“We’re still piecing things together. The storage modules we recovered held a lot of information, and we were able to transfer a large amount before the data connection to the bunker went offline. That reminds me. There’s a team of biologists that wants to study the snow beasts,” Noah said.
Connor chuckled. “They’re welcome to it. I’ve gotten as close as I want.”
Diaz grinned. “You were almost a snack for one of them.”
Noah grinned.
“Sure, we can laugh about it now, but at the time it wasn’t so funny,” Connor replied.
“We need a better name for them,” Lenora said. “They’re aquatic but seemed adapted for the ice.”
“I wonder if they’re native to this world,” Noah said.
Connor eyed him.
Noah shrugged. “The Bhatdin could have brought them as protectors. They didn’t attack until we started poking around in the bunker.”
“What about the technical data? Anything useful there?” Connor asked.
Noah nodded. “There are some things worth reviewing and understanding. Some theoretical principles for how the gateways work.”
Diaz gave Noah a sidelong glance. “Still trying to become the fastest man alive?”
Kara laughed. “I was thinking the fastest couple. ‘Husband and wife achieve FTL dream.’”
Diaz smiled.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Connor said, and they looked at him. “I mean that. I expect to hear all about it one day.”
Noah smiled. “Still insisting on staying here when we do?”
Connor looked at Lenora. She smiled and shrugged.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Anyway, at the rate you’re going, I might be an old man when you finally figure it out,” Connor said.
Noah grinned. “Well, I’ll get right to work on it then.”
Author Note
Thank you so much for reading. Impulse is the 12th book in the First Colony series. New Earth has been home to my imagination for a long time. Helping me to stay motivated to write these stories has been the enthusiasm of the readers who’ve reached out to me and the people who took the time to review my books. I hope you enjoyed this latest book in the First Colony series. Almost inevitably, I get the question about whether this will be the last book in the First Colony series. No, it won’t. I think there are more stories to tell in this series and more characters to explore. I don’t believe Noah is going to give up on unlocking FTL travel.
Impulse marks a new beginning for the series. I hope you enjoyed reconnecting with the more familiar characters as well as getting to know some of the new ones. To answer the question about how many books will be in the series, I turn it back to you, dear reader. I think there are many stories to tell in this series and generations of colonists to get to know, but this will only be possible with your help. As an author who earns a living by writing these stories, I can’t ask for anything more from this series. I continue to write stories in the First Colony series because I enjoy it, and you do as well. It seems like as good a reason as any to keep writing a particular series. The best way for me to gauge whether people want more First Colony stories is by them reading the book and perhaps leaving a review, or recommending it to a friend or a group. Word of mouth is crucial. I take a lot of pride in my work because I think the quality of the story matters, as well as your experience in reading it.
Thanks again for reading my books. Please consider leaving a review for Impulse
