Your Mother's People (FLASHBACK)

by Kaye Jeffreys -

With graduation from tertiary school in a week it was hard for Jereth to take this last Seacology field trip seriously. It was hard to take anything serious that wacky Professor Bonswarzick taught either in the classroom or here on the observation decks of Zirconia. Others hung on his every word. His eyewitness stories concerning angels had half the class mesmerized including Lessie who scanned the sea held back by glass as though an angel would appear any minute. Of course, Lessie also had an eyewitness account concerning an angel.

All Jereth ever saw was oppressive amounts of water that filtered and colored the sunlight, causing dull and splotchy patterns on everyone. Oh, and the occasional floaty thing that meandered in the sea without enthusiasm.

Jereth whispered in Lessie's ear, "Kind of romantic, huh?" At least he hoped she thought so. All he felt was boredom and was looking for a diversion.

Lessie leaned into Jereth's whisper, a smile pulled at her lips.

"Let's go find a quiet corner somewhere and you can tell me about your angel sighting again." He pulled her away from the center of the room and she came willingly, even as she kept searching the sea.

In the corner Jereth put his arms around her and pressed his cheek against hers. It was all right that she searched over his shoulder for angels. She snuggled more when she thought of them.

"So tell me again what that angel said to you," he whispered in her ear.

Lessie whispered back. "She told me go landside and help the less fortunate."

"She said all that?"

"Not in those words. Not in any words. It just felt like she said something like that. She thought it to me."

"Fascinating." He pulled her tighter.

"There she is." Lessie broke free and rushed back to the middle of the observation area amidst the other spectators who gasped and spoke in hushed tones to each other.

Jereth stood alone in the corner glaring at the thing that hung suspended in the water out beyond the glass. He missed Lessie's warmth already. Why did it show up now?

It looked like it smiled at him. Then he felt it enter inside his thoughts. Your mother's people.

Jereth could not breathe. A weight on his chest kept him from getting air. He had to get away from it. So he turned and left.

#

In the rest area, Jereth supported his weight with one hand on the sink and rubbed water on his face with the other. He could not shut out the alien voice in his head.

Your mother's people.

What about them? he thought back at it.

Release Lessie and go find them.

Why would I look for filthy grit breathers on a God-forsaken vol...?

God-forsaken?

Then Jereth understood. It was never his place to decide who or what God had forsaken. But he asked-thought again. Why should I look for them?

If you don't you will turn into your father.

Jereth covered his eyes and nose with one hand while he continued to support his weight with the other on the sink. His mouth turned dry as it silently formed the words, "I don't want to be weak."

If you find your mother's people, you will also find strength.

Jereth's resistance drained away with the cold water down the sink.

The feeling of the angel's presence backed away. The weight on Jereth's chest lifted. He took in a deep breath. And then another.

A custodian walked in, "There's a young lady out here worried about you."

Jereth stood up straight. "Yeah." He wiped his hands on his clothes and checked to see if all the pain of his life had leaked out down his front. It hadn't. At least the angel had left him a little dignity. "I'll take my girlfriend to a nice place to eat, then take her home."

"Good, treat your lady right."

Jereth managed a meager smile. "I will."

Worse Than Ash Lung

by Kaye Jeffreys -

Jereth scraped corrosion off the terminals on Lessie's scope with a wire brush. Wind blasted the windows of the circuit office with a constant shower of ash and grit particles. The glass rattled but held against the onslaught.

Lessie sat down at the table across from him in the service room. "Why are you here?"

Jereth glanced up then focused again on cleaning the innards of her scope. Lessie wore that serious look of hers. He was in for it. She doesn't let go of an issue until her questions are answered.

"Stop ignoring me, Jereth Davis. Why are you here?"

"To help the less fortunate." He blew dust from the prongs and examined them closely.

"Don't lie to me. Your heart is not in this."

"Why are you here?" Jereth scrubbed at the last few deposits of corrosion and blew again.

"Don't change the subject."

He put a new power pack in Lessie's scope and replaced the cover. "Why do you think I'm here?"

Lessie leaned back in her chair. "The Tyrant?"

"Avenir is not big enough for both him and me." Jereth set Lessie's scope down and slid it across the table to her.

She picked it up and looked at it without seeing it. "So why landside? Why not undersea?"

"He has too many connections undersea." Jereth tapped his leg with the wire brush.

"You'd risk Ash Lung and a whole lot of other things rather than deal with your father and his connections?"

Jereth set the wire brush on the table and clasped his hands on his lap to keep from fidgeting. "There is no dealing with my father. Not directly. Not through any of his connections. He's not like your parents."

"I know."

Jereth shook his head. "No, Lessie, you don't know. Because if you knew, if you really understood, you wouldn't ask how dealing with him could be worse than Ash Lung."

Meeting at Maddie's

by Kaye Jeffreys -

Gritty wind is hard to breathe, even through a face mask. And boots are heavy to walk in. In fact, you don't really walk in them. It is more of a trudge. And Jereth trudged down the street in Adagio. Once he arrived at the pub he pushed against the heavy door and went in.

"Shut the door," some lady called from behind the counter. That must be Maddie.

Jereth did as she said then moved the goggles from his eyes to his forehead and removed the mask from his nose and mouth.

A man at one of the tables stared at him. Jareth turned away and found his own table. The man was familiar but Jereth didn't take a second look.

The man got up, threw a coin onto the counter and left.

Jereth didn't sit for long. The door opened again and two people walked in. Lessie spotted him immediately, "Jereth!" she ran to him and gave him one of her famous bug hugs.

Her eyes were red and her face smudged, just like everyone he'd seen landside. "I can't believe you are here. I'm so glad to see you."

Jereth smiled. "It's good to see you." Then he turned to Carter and extended his hand, "And you too."

"Jereth." Carter shook his hand but kept a guarded expression.

Lessie put her hands on her hips. "You better have a good reason for abandoning the cat I gave you."

"Neenah? She likes my brother way better than me." Jereth pulled out a chair for Lessie.

Lessie sat. "Yeah, right. Jereth, you look great."

"I wish I could say the same about you." Jereth motioned for Carter to sit by Lessie.

"After a while you'll look like us. Are you ready to get grit in your eyes and nose?"

"I already have it in my teeth." He wasn't kidding.

Lessie laughed. "That will teach you to keep you mouth shut when you breathe."

Then it hit him. He remembered who the man was.

"What is it?" Lessie put her hand on Jereth's arm.

"Nothing." Jereth glanced at the table where Jax sat moments ago.

"Liar. You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Maybe I did. Some guy I know from Avenir was in here."

"So?"

"So, he's supposed to be dead."

Lessie shrugged. "Probably just someone down here who looks like him."

"Probably." Jereth grimaced. Too bad he wasn't smart enough to fake his own death. Then he wouldn't be looking over his shoulder for his father's thugs.

Dangerous Jobs

by Kaye Jeffreys -

"Are you hungry?" Dad stood in the door of Brett's sleep cubicle. "Gordy made chicory millet soup, good for lung health."

Brett propped himself up, "It smells good. Bless Gordy."

"You can eat a little?" Dad handed Brett the metal bowl.

The soup still steamed in the warm bowl. "Food is starting to sound good."

"You gave us all a scare." Dad sat down next to Brett's bed.

The savory broth and wild vegetables tasted good and went down smooth.

Dad stroked his chin. "Kellie doesn't look like she's taking it well. She looks worse than you do."

"She told me she's not burying another husband. I'm not allowed to die before her." Brett saluted like he was an Enforcer.

Dad saluted back, showing his white teeth in a mirthful smile. "Like we have that much control."

"I told her that I'd be ready to go up to the Rims soon."

"The Clinic lady said it would take time."

"Don't listen to Lessie. She's from undersea and doesn't know how things work up here." Brett shook his head as he remembered the scolding he got from Lessie in the circuit office.

Dad leaned forward. "This time I'm listening."

"But Madame Bleu was showing off for us. Did you see the fountain she shot up?" Brett spread his fingers and reached for the roof of his sleeper. "She was telling us to come visit her next, that we wouldn't be sorry if we did."

"We aren't cleared to go back up yet." Dad crossed his arms and leaned back.

Brett suspended his spoon in front of his mouth. "That's right, the offering."

"Tomorrow, Reece and I will send up a flare and meet with them."

"What if they don't accept it?"

"Then we will go back to what our ancestors did."

"Hunt?" Brett's stomach became queasy. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Playing Rim Roulette isn't dangerous?"

"It doesn't seem as dangerous as prospecting." Brett set the bowl of soup on the shelf next to his bed. He could no longer eat with the sour feeling in his gut. "Reece got in some good practice the other day with that spider."

Dad took a deep breath and covered his eyes as though he didn't want to see something. "Reece got lucky. He saw the spider first."

Aid Work?

by Kaye Jeffreys -

"Jereth, what are you doing here?" Kinsee stood at her door, motherly as always.

"You said to drop by whenever I'm nearby."

"I certainly did. Come in, come in." Kinsee stepped back.

Jereth walked in, set his pack on the couch, and surveyed her friendly entertaining room. Some of the best times he'd ever had were spent here with his school mate, Lessie, and her parents, Kinsee and Mitchel.

"You can stay in Lessie's room until she returns. Sit down." Kinsee sat down herself and motioned for Jereth to do the same. "What brings you under the sea?"

"Lessie finally got to me with all her talk about aid work landside. I want to join her team up there."

"Aid work? You, Jereth?"

"Yes, me. Don't act so surprised." He leaned back into the comfy sofa.

"You know that her fiancé is with her?"

"Carter? I introduced Lessie to Carter. He has nothing to worry about from me."

"It won't keep him from worrying." Kinsee shook her head then put her hand on her cheek. "Aid work? You, Jereth?"

"Aren't I allowed a social conscience?"

"You will hate it up there. It's nothing like the contained systems of Avenir and Zirconia."

"Are you trying to talk me out of helping the less fortunate? I'm serious about this, Kinsee. I've raised my own support." He patted his pack.

"I'm trying to help you understand the hazards of going landside for someone like you."

Jereth feigned mild offense. "Someone like me. You mean spoiled?"

"Vulnerable." There was nothing but concern in her voice. No judgement, no condemnation.

"The Landsiders aren't vulnerable?"

"They have built up some natural tolerances that you simply don't have."

"What about the children?" Kinsee had a soft spot. If he brought up children maybe that would make her believe him. "What tolerence do their little ones have?"

"But you doing aid work?"

"Stop saying that. You are starting to hurt my feelings. Yes, Kinsee, I want to do aid work."

He hated lying to her as much as he did his brother. But he hoped it would get him a to a place where he would never have to lie again.