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Authors: John Peter Jones
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like a sincere compliment toward Hodge. “Miss Grimshaw, would you mind if I used one of your cabins? There’s another mystery to this mission that I’d like to start unraveling.”
“He is fun. Sometimes more fun than I feel like I can handle. It’s so nice to have some new company for a jump,” Grimshaw said, smiling. She tapped on the wall screen next to her and manipulated a few menus. “Hank, this plane is at your disposal. Here, key in a password and you can lock up this cabin for as long as you need.”
A password dialogue box popped up, and Hank typed in a quick password.
“Don’t be too generous,” he said. “If you offer for me to take this bucket off your hands, I might just accept.”
Before Hank left, Grimshaw held his shoulder. “Now, Jesus asked me to transport the two of you as a favor, but I don’t want to be involved with whatever you are doing once we land. I’m just making sure that’s clear.” She looked at Hank, then at Jax, and let go of Hank’s shoulder. “A lot has changed since the last time I worked with the military, and I don’t think Jesus has ever acknowledged that.”
Hank nodded. “Absolutely. Thank you again for your help.”
She tapped on the cabin door to open it. Jax noticed her smile revealed a dimple in her right cheek. “Beyond that, I want you to feel like you can ask me for anything. If you need us, we are at your disposal.”
Hank thanked her again and closed himself up in the private cabin.
“He seems like a smart kid,” Grimshaw said. Then she whispered to herself, “Why on Earth is he in the military?” She tapped another series of menus on the wall again. Two padded benches extended from the wall. “Jax, have you been around many Animalis?” She sat on one with her bare feet tucked under herself.
“I haven’t. No.”
Jax stood where he was and held his hands behind his back. Hank was gone and Jax was left alone with this girl. Of course he wasn’t uncomfortable, and it wasn’t like he could be attracted to her, not with her being more than five years his senior. He wanted to just act normal, but somehow normal was a far off concept now. Even standing still at the entryway was unnatural.
He glanced at the floor and brought up the list of feedback options:
Carpet, Play Mat, Grass, Water Puddle, Stone, Wood, Therapeutic Insole, Memory Foam Pillow …
“I remember hearing all sorts of stories about them when I was growing up. They really are amazing, though, aren’t they?” Grimshaw said. She pulled her hair tie out and let her mass of red curls fall loose around her head. The hair band was added to her army of bracelets. “Each one is just so unique. Sometimes I wish I could get to know them all.”
Jax gave a little nod, calculating how often to look up at her in a normal way. He didn’t want to give the impression that he was just looking at her. And he still needed to figure out what flooring he wanted; that was important. The menu still floated where it was above the floor, waiting for him to make a selection. He had usually used the Play Mat texture while growing up—he liked feeling like he could rough-house at any moment—but decided to try the Water Puddle.
He looked up again and saw her patiently sitting there. Her green eyes were watching him. Why was she staring at him? Was he doing something wrong? Oh, she’s waiting for me to respond, he realized.
“They are—” he started to say. But what was he about to say, that the Animalis were amazing? “What about the rabid ones?” he said instead. “The militants? They aren’t pets.” Jax unconsciously glanced where Hodge had gone. “They aren’t human.”
“No …” she said. She leaned forward and her voice became enthusiastic. “No, but that’s it, isn’t it? They really are completely alien. And that’s where most people get it all wrong. You can’t think of them like a human, and you can’t assume that they’re mindless, either. Every species
“He is fun. Sometimes more fun than I feel like I can handle. It’s so nice to have some new company for a jump,” Grimshaw said, smiling. She tapped on the wall screen next to her and manipulated a few menus. “Hank, this plane is at your disposal. Here, key in a password and you can lock up this cabin for as long as you need.”
A password dialogue box popped up, and Hank typed in a quick password.
“Don’t be too generous,” he said. “If you offer for me to take this bucket off your hands, I might just accept.”
Before Hank left, Grimshaw held his shoulder. “Now, Jesus asked me to transport the two of you as a favor, but I don’t want to be involved with whatever you are doing once we land. I’m just making sure that’s clear.” She looked at Hank, then at Jax, and let go of Hank’s shoulder. “A lot has changed since the last time I worked with the military, and I don’t think Jesus has ever acknowledged that.”
Hank nodded. “Absolutely. Thank you again for your help.”
She tapped on the cabin door to open it. Jax noticed her smile revealed a dimple in her right cheek. “Beyond that, I want you to feel like you can ask me for anything. If you need us, we are at your disposal.”
Hank thanked her again and closed himself up in the private cabin.
“He seems like a smart kid,” Grimshaw said. Then she whispered to herself, “Why on Earth is he in the military?” She tapped another series of menus on the wall again. Two padded benches extended from the wall. “Jax, have you been around many Animalis?” She sat on one with her bare feet tucked under herself.
“I haven’t. No.”
Jax stood where he was and held his hands behind his back. Hank was gone and Jax was left alone with this girl. Of course he wasn’t uncomfortable, and it wasn’t like he could be attracted to her, not with her being more than five years his senior. He wanted to just act normal, but somehow normal was a far off concept now. Even standing still at the entryway was unnatural.
He glanced at the floor and brought up the list of feedback options:
Carpet, Play Mat, Grass, Water Puddle, Stone, Wood, Therapeutic Insole, Memory Foam Pillow …
“I remember hearing all sorts of stories about them when I was growing up. They really are amazing, though, aren’t they?” Grimshaw said. She pulled her hair tie out and let her mass of red curls fall loose around her head. The hair band was added to her army of bracelets. “Each one is just so unique. Sometimes I wish I could get to know them all.”
Jax gave a little nod, calculating how often to look up at her in a normal way. He didn’t want to give the impression that he was just looking at her. And he still needed to figure out what flooring he wanted; that was important. The menu still floated where it was above the floor, waiting for him to make a selection. He had usually used the Play Mat texture while growing up—he liked feeling like he could rough-house at any moment—but decided to try the Water Puddle.
He looked up again and saw her patiently sitting there. Her green eyes were watching him. Why was she staring at him? Was he doing something wrong? Oh, she’s waiting for me to respond, he realized.
“They are—” he started to say. But what was he about to say, that the Animalis were amazing? “What about the rabid ones?” he said instead. “The militants? They aren’t pets.” Jax unconsciously glanced where Hodge had gone. “They aren’t human.”
“No …” she said. She leaned forward and her voice became enthusiastic. “No, but that’s it, isn’t it? They really are completely alien. And that’s where most people get it all wrong. You can’t think of them like a human, and you can’t assume that they’re mindless, either. Every species
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