“Stages of man’s civilization with the pinnacle being space travel.” Tobias set his toothbrush and tube of paste on the nightstand. “Modern humans evolved millions of years ago. Do you really think it took that long for us to leave the planet? Think about it? In your incarnation, humanity went from horses and manual power to moon flights and near full automation in less than a century. Yet, most people on Earth think humans sat on their thumbs for untold millennia before that.”
When he put it that way it did sound foolish. Still… “Why hasn’t anyone found any evidence of these great civilizations?”
The heat had reached my hips. Why bother trying to wiggle my toes when it would probably cause the whole tingling process to start over? I preferred melting to pins and needles jabbing my skin any day.
“All evidence of previous incarnations is erased.” Standing, Tobias shoved his shaving kit to the top of the bed and grasped the edge of the flat sheet.
“That’s convenient.” Nothing like trying to prove something when you’ve deliberately eliminated the proof.
“It’s expensive and a pain in the ass.” With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the sheet over me.
The scent of mesquite wafted from the warm part of the sheet where Tobias had sat. I could get used to his Parks and Rec disguise. I pressed deeper into the mattress. I don’t know when I’d felt this relaxed and warm. Warm, not the hot/cold cycle as the air conditioning clicked on and off.
“We replant the Earth, replenish her resources and watch humanity reinvent the wheel, re-harness fire, relearn how to forge steel and wage war all from the safety of our bases on the moon.”
I yawned and blinked. My eyes seemed too heavy to keep open. It had been a long day. Perhaps a little nap was in order. “You have a moon base?”
“Had.” Tobias tucked the sheet around me. “In the 1940’s when Oppenheimer built his rockets, we pulled back to Mars and currently have observers stationed around the world to lend development a hand.”
“Like me.” I snuggled into my pillow. Five minutes. I’d sleep for five minutes.
“No.”
“No?” I forced my eyes open. “I thought I was supposed to act as a go between.”
“You’re a steward.” Tobias brushed my bangs out of my eyes. Was it the CeeBees or did his touch linger just a tad too long? “Your job is to help the aliens who have been relocated and humans who have been repatriated adjust to their new life on Earth.”
Help people adjust to life on Earth? Wait a minute. I wasn’t adjusted. Holy Toledo! I could seriously screw up some people. Aliens were people too, weren’t they? An ache built in my head then quickly subsided under a tidal wave of fatigue. Right. I’ll think about it later. “Why do they come here?”
“For the aliens, this planet is a sanctuary.” The bed dipped as Tobias sat back down. “The UED guards Earth and ensures her isolation.”
“The UED?” I yawned again so widely my jaw creaked.
“United Earth Defense. It’s a coalition of First and Third incarnation human settlers who have banded together to protect our worlds and interests.”
My accountant brain perked up at the mention of numbers. “What happened to the other two? You said we’re in the fifth incarnation.”
Despite my fatigue, I could pay attention. Or at least count to five.
“Many of Two’s worlds have joined the UED. Almost none of Four’s have.” He gathered his toothbrush and paste from the nightstand. “You can read up on it once you are connected. How are you feeling?”
“Tired.” My tongue felt thick in my mouth. And the thought of reading thousands and thousands of years of history was like a tranquilizer on top of it. Hopefully someone had written cliff notes on humanity’s past. I could get through those. Maybe.
“That’s perfectly normal.” Tobias pushed to his feet. “The Cee-Bee’s use the body’s stored energy supplies to power the connection.”
He turned toward the bathroom.
I tried to reach for him but only managed to twitch in his direction. Still, I was proud of the movement. “Wait!” Exhaustion slurred my speech and I forced myself to stay awake. “What about Fourth?”
“The Astral Presidium rules the colonies of Fourth. They want contact made with Earth to open up her and her worlds for exploitation.” Tobias frowned. “As the last incarnation, they think their claim to Earth is the strongest and there are other species that will support them. Militarily. They’d see Earth reduced to radioactive rubble before they let anyone else have it and forget autonomy. You’ll be nothing but slave labor to them and yes, they still have slaves.”
“Wonderful.” My eyes closed and sealed shut. Nothing like a nasty story before bedtime. I hoped I was too tired for nightmares. “At least, the Presidium is far, far away.”
Tobias remained silent. He didn’t even move into the bathroom.
Uh-oh. Fear pushed back the curtain of sleep. I struggled to open my eyes. “They are far, far away, aren’t they?”
He had his lips pressed so tightly together, white rimmed the edges. Slowly he uncurled his fists. “Your first case will be to place four humans. They were once members of Fourth’s ruling elite. In exchange for their knowledge on the Astral Presidium’s plans, the UED promised to keep them safe. Seven men have died so far and the real job hasn’t even started.”
As tidbits of earlier information filtered through my brain, a shard of panic stabbed my lethargy. “Konstantin works for the Astral Presidium.”
He had been at the park. I shivered under the sheet. And if he’d gotten there early enough, he’d have seen the Spam dots dive into me.
And he’d walked me home.
I bit my lip and tasted blood.
Most likely, he knew that I had taken the place of the steward he’d killed.
I opened my eyes and stretched. Unbelievable! I’d actually slept. And my dreams had been peaceful, not nightmares of dead bodies in the park, water dudes sucking on oil wells or being strapped to a chair. I pushed the hair off my face and stared at the ceiling fan’s whirling blades. What’s more, the headache, the tingling and the throbbing had disappeared.
How was this possible?
Especially when Konstantin wanted me dead.
I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes. God, talk about being bad at reading signals. Here I thought dinner date, and he contemplated date with my Maker. If Mrs. Roberts hadn’t left her condo to complain to me, I might now be dead. I dropped my hands onto my belly.
And speaking of people who wanted to kill me…
Where was Tobias?
He said he’d be by my side until this was over. I curled into a fetal position near the edge of the bed. So much for his ‘I’ll never leave you speech’. Why did men always promise then renege? Sighing, I glanced out the picture window.
Darkness pressed against the panes. Holy Toledo! Night had fallen. How long had I been out? In the distance, thunder rumbled and lightning glowed along the clouds’ underbelly. Seed pods rattled along the sidewalk and limber trees bowed under the wind gusts.
“How are you feeling?” A man’s voice swelled from the darkness.
Son of a monkey’s butt! My fingers dug into the mattress as my heart resumed its normal tempo. That man needed to have a cow bell tied around his neck or I was going to die of fright. And just where the devil was he? “Tobias?”
“Here.”
Propping myself up on my elbow, I peered over the side of the bed.
He sat up in a wedge of light cutting in through the window. Limp hands rested on his bent knees.
“What are you doing on the floor?”
“Catching up on sleep.” He stretched and vertebrae popped, competing with the cicada’s song.
Sleeping? On what? Bare carpet surrounded him. Guilt niggled at the back of my mind. I hadn’t exactly been welcoming. Of course, he hadn’t been the King of Hospitality either. Then again, he hadn’t been raised by my mother. That woman had never met a stranger.
And I had been taught to do better.
“Why didn’t you sleep on the bed?” Glancing over my shoulder, I eyed the empty expanse of the king-sized bed. I’d bought the thing as a decadent luxury. Yet, I’d only slept on a small quarter. He’d fit, broad shoulders and all. I turned back to him. “There’s plenty of room.”
There. I’d done my part. And it had only cost me a twinge in my stomach.
Tobias shrugged and pushed to his feet. After tucking the hem of his gray shirt into his jeans, he twisted at the waist and stretched again. “It would have made you uncomfortable.”
Each pop lashed my conscience. Like I wasn’t now? It had taken me four months of scrimping to save up for my bed. I knew first hand how hard the floor was. And I didn’t have to re-grow, or reattach my arms. I flopped back on the bed as he continued his noisy contortions.
“Sleep on the bed next time.” I peeked at him from under my lashes. Heat shimmered through me. Unease at him lying next to me. Nothing else. I wouldn’t let it be anything else. “Left side.” I patted the emptiness. “And don’t steal the covers.”
He grunted and rolled his shoulders.
What did that mean? I didn’t speak alien caveman. Crossing my arms, I stared at the fan. The douche probably wouldn’t elaborate. Well, I refused to feel guilty anymore. If he chose to sleep on the floor then his stiff joints were his fault, not mine.
“I’ll make some sandwiches and soup.” He padded out of the room.
Soup? My stomach rumbled, then growled, then threatened to eat my back bone, if I didn’t eat soon. Crap on a cracker! I don’t ever remember feeling this hungry. The heck with an elephant, I could eat the whole heard.
I rolled off the bed and something clunked to the floor. Now what? Glancing down, I noticed I’d landed square in man-shaped matted carpet. His residual body heat warmed the bottoms of my feet—one bare, the other still wearing its pink sock. I seriously doubted my sock could have made such a noise. Hunkering down, I peered under the nightstand.
A rectangle of blue light glowed in the darkness. The Smartphone. Bracing one hand on the carpet, I reached under the nightstand and scooped up the cell. I quickly tapped the screen. It remained blank. Great! Either I’d broken the thing or I didn’t have any apps.
But which? Tobias would know. I glanced through the door toward the kitchen. No sound, not even the squeak from the cabinet doors. Did the man have to do everything silently?
My stomach voted I head to the kitchen, my bladder vetoed it. Tucking the Smartphone in my short’s pocket, I strode to the bathroom. The cell slapped my thigh with every step. The noise sounded overly loud in the quiet. Tobias would have no problem finding me even without the magic Spam dots.
Kicking the door shut, I slapped the switch and blinked as the lights flickered on. My reflection’s mouth dropped open. Red creased the right side of my face and sleep boogers hung out in the corners of my eyes. More hair stuck out of my pony tail than in it. Good grief. All that was missing to make my humiliation complete were drool tracks. Yanking the tie from my hair, I attacked the rat’s nest with my brush. My scalp tingled and burned before the locks lay flat. After using the facilities, I washed my hands and face with cool water.
Drying off, I stared at my new and improved self. Better, but not a beauty pageant finalist. I stripped off the sock, tossed it into the hamper and headed to the kitchen.
Burbling happily, my stomach led the way. I hoped lunch/dinner was more substantial than soup. I wanted to sink my teeth into something like meat. My mouth watered at the thought. I missed meat. My budget barely allowed for canned tuna and chicken hot dogs.
Get a grip, Rae. You’d be lucky to get soup from that shriveled celery stalk, half onion and limp carrot in your fridge
. I swear I heard my stomach cry. I patted my belly. Maybe I could splurge a little. Long Wok’s always had a dinner special. Pulling the phone from my pocket, I stared at the blank screen. My thumb hovered over the nine button. Aw snap. Tobias would need to eat too. If his size was anything to go by, he’d probably eat a lot. My imaginary dinner bill went from eight bucks to thirty.
My stomach shot bile into my throat. I swallowed the bitterness. Screw it. I was hungry and part of a celery stalk, carrot and onion wasn’t going to satisfy me. I pressed the button. Nothing. Not even an annoying beep.
“I think the Smartphone is broke. The screen is blank and…” I flashed it at him, lifted my head and jerked to a stop. Holy Toledo! Someone had relocated a grocery store to my dining room. Bags of chips, fruits, a veggie tray, and a plate of thick sandwiches laid siege to my table. At opposite ends sat two large bowls of soup. Steam wafted above them, perfuming the air with thyme, oregano, onions and chicken.
My nose twitched in delight. Stumbling to the nearest seat, I collapsed onto the rickety metal chair, set the phone down and clawed for the spoon. “Where did all this food come from?”
Not that I was complaining. But the food fairy had never visited me before. If those Spam dots gave me a direct line, I’d order steaks and French fries next time. Dipping my spoon into the soup, I stirred up dumplings, bits of chicken and flakes of spices. Oh man, oh mama. I fished out a fat dumpling out and blew on the steam.
Tobias tucked a jug back in the fridge and sauntered across the great room carrying two tall glasses of orange juice. “I ordered it.”
I tightened my grip on the spoon and my dumpling splatted back into my soup. “You left me?”
When I was sleeping and vulnerable? Sure he might have that amazing alarm clock with special security powers, but if Konstantin was from the same place, wouldn’t he have a way to get around it?
Tobias set a glass next to my plate. “No. The grocery store delivered.”
Thank God. I stuffed my spoon into my mouth and swallowed the broth. Heaven. Pure heaven!
“You will have to change your shopping habits.” He walked to the head of the square table and sat down. “You didn’t have enough food to power the CeeBees for an hour. With such a low calorie diet, it is no wonder you slept for fourteen hours.”
Poverty had worked great at helping me stick to my diet. I shrugged and chased around a lump of chicken. “I don’t need to eat much.”