Page 6

Jane took a deep, calming breath. She let her scientist mode boot; separated herself from the deep dread and the disturbing thoughts. This was a huge discovery of great scientific import. No doubt a mystery they'd be scratching their heads over for a long while. She forced herself to feel pride, and a thin thread of excitement at becoming the lowly terraform scientist who-

Her lander's hatch would not open.
She had carried the boy- he was very light, disturbingly so- back to her modus transit. He was resting (he could do nothing but rest, mind) with his back to one of the landing "legs" while she tried to access the hatch again.
"DICC, can you fix this remotely? I'm locked out, the hatch must be ja-"
"PLEASE STATE YOUR ID AND PASSWORD."
A confused pause from Jane.
"DICC, it's me. Open the hatch."
"'ME' IS NOT A VALID USER ID. YOU HAVE FOUR MORE ATTEMPTS BEFORE A LOCKOUT OF 24 HOURS."
Incredulous, Jane read the redundant script of what DICC had just said on her visor screen. She shook her head slightly. Damn this entire glitchy day.
"User ID JS189436. Password ventura astridos."
A long pause. Too long for Jane's current anxiety.
"THANK YOU, JANE. WHAT IS YOUR QUERY?"
"I want you to open this goddamn hatch door. That's my f**king query."
"NO NEED FOR PROFANITIES, JANE."
The hatch opened with a dull hiss. She released a breath in relief, and carried her strange cargo aboard.

 

Page 7

Chapter 2

She encountered another malfunction upon arrival at the station’s docking bay. She was beginning to lose her patience, masking her thin film of panic with a thinner veil of aggravation.

“User ID…Juliet, Sierra, 1-8-9-4-3-6. Password ven-too-rah, ah-stree-dose. Get that? Did you get it this time?”
“I’M SORRY. USER ID AND PASSWORD NOT RECEIVED. PLEASE TRY AGAIN.”
Jane growled at the great camera shutter-like door, took a deep and calming breath, and spoke again. Loudly and slowly, as if speaking to an old, senile person. She enunciated each syllable as clearly as possible.
After a pause of thirty-four seconds,
“I’M SORRY. USER ID AND PASSWORD NOT RECEIVED. PLEASE TRY AGAIN. YOU HAVE THREE MORE ATTEMPTS BEFORE A LOCKOUT OF 24 HOURS.”
She screamed, beating her gloved fists against the glass.
“Let me in!!! You let me in you f**kwit computer!!! LET ME THE F**K IN!!! NOOOWWWWW!!!!”
She slumped back in her seat, and began to cry. Her shoulders hitched twice, she hung her helmeted head.
There was a long pause as she tried to control her sobs. Behind her, the small form wrapped in thermal foil regarded her plight indifferently.
And then, incredibly:
“THANK YOU, JANE. WELCOME HOME.”
The doors cycled open to a perfect circle of white.
“Welcome my ass, you slow electronic f**k.”  Jane muttered, sniffling. She now felt silly for throwing a tantrum. She had been out here too long, it seemed.