Read Online Kraken Mare by Jason Cordova, Christopher L. Smith - Free Book Online
Authors: Jason Cordova, Christopher L. Smith
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job. Though I was pretty sure that I had not done anything wrong, I needed to make certain things remained on the up and up. That meant I had to make a sacrifice. “If you like, I can spend some of my downtime in the Gallery with the kraken soon.”
“You don't have to,” Doctor Marillac shook her head. Her tone, though, told me all that I needed to know. Interacting with the kraken would make all of the scientists on the station happy and would give them more time to research the alien creatures. More time to test their hypothesis, and potentially create the greatest scientific achievements since the splitting of the atom.
Plus, it would probably keep Doctor Marillac from going off on me again, which was even better.
“It's fine, ma'am,” I told her in what I hoped was a completely convincing tone. “I have plenty of downtime to spare.”
“I do apologize for my attitude,” the scientist looked back at me. Her eyes were alight with excitement, though her face was contrite. “I've been feeling a little under the weather lately. Headaches and such. It's making me irritable.”
“I'm off shift in four hours, ma'am,” I said after a quick glance at the digital clock on the wall. It was set to match UN headquarters on Earth, which was set to UTC–4. Or , I thought as I mentally converted the numbers, two in the afternoon . “I'll be at the Gallery around 1800 hours, ma'am.”
“I do appreciate this, John,” Doctor Marillac smiled at me. Her eyes clouded briefly as she thought about it. “That's six in the evening, correct?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Perfect!” she clapped her hands once more. “This will be a terrific scientific opportunity! I can hardly wait!”
“Neither can I,” I lied.
Women can be downright terrifying.
ঠ
I changed up my route a bit to make the Gallery my last stop, about thirty minutes before shift’s end. I hoped that whatever mental phone tree they used would have a head start, and maybe I could get away sooner.
I had to admit that while the scientists drove me nuts, the kraken were pretty interesting. Watching them feed was a bit disconcerting to see, but their swimming and playing evoked a subtle memory of my own childhood playing with friends. Of course, that led to other memories that were more bittersweet than anything else.
The Gallery was quiet. It was early still, and I had expected someone to be in the room when I arrived, but it had been surprisingly empty. I sat down on one of the benches in the room and watched as two of the kraken brushed against the station, their alien fingers touching the plasteel as they passed. They pivoted and swam back, their bodies changing colors as they moved. A varying array of pinks and purples covered their underbellies, changing rapidly back and forth. I chuckled as one of the kraken turned a deep blue for a moment. I could almost imagine a couple arguing about something and the man getting put in his place. I laughed at the idea of my dad trying to back his way out of an argument with my mom and failing miserably.
“Good luck with that, buddy,” I told the kraken who had turned blue.
Both kraken suddenly stopped swimming and turned towards me. For the barest of moments, I felt as though the aliens were staring through me, peering into the depths of my heart and soul. I shivered and looked away, trying to appear as it the kraken's movements had not bothered me in the slightest.
I was fairly certain I wouldn’t have fooled anybody in the slightest had they been there.
“Stop it,” I whispered as I watched the kraken out of the corner of my eye. “That's creepy as hell.”
My PDA chirped. Saved by the bell. I glanced down at the screen—it was Poole. I think. It could have been Lockhart.
“John,” he said. “Report to Control for prisoner transport.”
“Transport? I haven’t been trained on that yet. Besides, shift ends in less twenty minutes.”
“Won’t take long, and you gotta start sometime,”
“You don't have to,” Doctor Marillac shook her head. Her tone, though, told me all that I needed to know. Interacting with the kraken would make all of the scientists on the station happy and would give them more time to research the alien creatures. More time to test their hypothesis, and potentially create the greatest scientific achievements since the splitting of the atom.
Plus, it would probably keep Doctor Marillac from going off on me again, which was even better.
“It's fine, ma'am,” I told her in what I hoped was a completely convincing tone. “I have plenty of downtime to spare.”
“I do apologize for my attitude,” the scientist looked back at me. Her eyes were alight with excitement, though her face was contrite. “I've been feeling a little under the weather lately. Headaches and such. It's making me irritable.”
“I'm off shift in four hours, ma'am,” I said after a quick glance at the digital clock on the wall. It was set to match UN headquarters on Earth, which was set to UTC–4. Or , I thought as I mentally converted the numbers, two in the afternoon . “I'll be at the Gallery around 1800 hours, ma'am.”
“I do appreciate this, John,” Doctor Marillac smiled at me. Her eyes clouded briefly as she thought about it. “That's six in the evening, correct?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Perfect!” she clapped her hands once more. “This will be a terrific scientific opportunity! I can hardly wait!”
“Neither can I,” I lied.
Women can be downright terrifying.
ঠ
I changed up my route a bit to make the Gallery my last stop, about thirty minutes before shift’s end. I hoped that whatever mental phone tree they used would have a head start, and maybe I could get away sooner.
I had to admit that while the scientists drove me nuts, the kraken were pretty interesting. Watching them feed was a bit disconcerting to see, but their swimming and playing evoked a subtle memory of my own childhood playing with friends. Of course, that led to other memories that were more bittersweet than anything else.
The Gallery was quiet. It was early still, and I had expected someone to be in the room when I arrived, but it had been surprisingly empty. I sat down on one of the benches in the room and watched as two of the kraken brushed against the station, their alien fingers touching the plasteel as they passed. They pivoted and swam back, their bodies changing colors as they moved. A varying array of pinks and purples covered their underbellies, changing rapidly back and forth. I chuckled as one of the kraken turned a deep blue for a moment. I could almost imagine a couple arguing about something and the man getting put in his place. I laughed at the idea of my dad trying to back his way out of an argument with my mom and failing miserably.
“Good luck with that, buddy,” I told the kraken who had turned blue.
Both kraken suddenly stopped swimming and turned towards me. For the barest of moments, I felt as though the aliens were staring through me, peering into the depths of my heart and soul. I shivered and looked away, trying to appear as it the kraken's movements had not bothered me in the slightest.
I was fairly certain I wouldn’t have fooled anybody in the slightest had they been there.
“Stop it,” I whispered as I watched the kraken out of the corner of my eye. “That's creepy as hell.”
My PDA chirped. Saved by the bell. I glanced down at the screen—it was Poole. I think. It could have been Lockhart.
“John,” he said. “Report to Control for prisoner transport.”
“Transport? I haven’t been trained on that yet. Besides, shift ends in less twenty minutes.”
“Won’t take long, and you gotta start sometime,”
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