Fic: That Hovering Cloud--Part Three
Sunday came and went. Laura wanted to go visit her mother in Miami. DK just wanted to get out of town, to go someplace that was not a constant reminder of John Crichton. That was easier said than done, but DK managed by wearing his mp3 player as much as possible and avoiding all radio and television broadcasts. When he tired of that, he pulled out Laura’s copy of ‘The Da Vinci Code.’ And he easily dodged his mother-in-law’s questions about John and the aliens: he hadn’t really seen them, the news was a better source and his work was classified.
It was easier to put things on autopilot than think. He drove back to the Cape Sunday night. He made love to his wife. He went to bed. He got up in the morning and ate breakfast while Laura read the paper. All the normal things. But it was Monday, and it was time to get back to work and all things John Crichton. DK stared out the window.
“Hey, guess what happened while we were out of town yesterday?” Laura said, folding the newspaper over so she could read the entire article.
“Another space ship arrived in orbit. Flash Gordon has returned to earth. He’s here to save every one of us.”
“Nope. That was last week. But get this, one of the aliens cured a lady of cancer. It was that three-eyed one.”
DK kept eating. He wasn’t really interested. “Uh huh.”
Laura put the paper down. “And I was thinking, John’s your best friend, so why don’t we invite John and some of his alien friends over for dinner or something?”
DK snorted. “Sure. I’ll ask. Next time I see him-sometime next year.”
The phone rang and Laura picked up the handset, looking out of habit at the caller ID screen before answering. “Speak of the devil. I believe this will be for you.” Laura pressed the talk button. “Good morning, John. That was perfect timing. I was just reading about you in the paper. Hope you had a good trip.” John said something and Laura laughed. DK stirred his cereal. “Yeah. He’s right here.” She handed him the phone.
“Hey DK, I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you.”
“You’ve been busy. How was fishing with Caroline?”
There was a pause and DK knew he’d scored. When John spoke, his voice was tighter. “The fish weren’t biting. I went home early. I would have gotten back to you sooner, but, would you believe I couldn’t figure out how to use my new cell phone. Livvy came to the rescue yesterday.”
“Yeah, I can believe it. You’re also the genius who couldn’t get your stereo to work until I showed you where the power button was.”
John laughed wryly. “Some things never change.”
“Then, you won’t be surprised that I could really use your help understanding the FTL engines you brought back. Can you spare me some time in between your next interview and speaking to the U.N. and go over our findings?”
“Sure. But I can’t make it ‘til Wednesday. I’ve promised my nephew Bobby that I’d take him up to Moya for his Christmas present and I won’t be back at Canaveral until then. In fact, I’m heading out to California in a few minutes. More interviews about the global initiative.”
“Yeah. Life’s a bitch that way.”
“It sure is.” DK heard someone in the background notifying John that his ride was here. “That’s my ride, DK. See you later.”
DK shut the phone off and Laura smacked him in the arm. “What did he say?”
The knot that had occupied his gut for the past three days relaxed a little and he smiled at Laura. “Ask him yourself. He’s coming by the day before Christmas.”
~ * ~
It was Christmas Eve and DK was feeling hopeful despite the fact that the hangar was empty of all the alien ships. Only the Farscape module was in the hangar currently. Aeryn Sun and Ka D’Argo returned before he arrived to work and flown back to their ship in orbit. Apparently he’d just missed John leaving in the transport pod with his dad, Livvy and his nephew. His team continued to work on the module as he went to his office to prepare for John’s return. All he needed was for John to point them in the right direction and he’d happily play second fiddle for the rest of his life. He swiveled his chair to where he put the latest scans of the interior structure of the engines and consequently didn’t see T.R. Holt standing in his doorway.
“Mr. Knox,” Holt said as he stepped into his office and shut the door behind him.
DK spun back around and placed the report on top of his desk. “Mr. Holt,” DK replied tersely. He wasn’t interested in what Holt might say anymore. “What can I do for you?”
Holt looked him over carefully and DK felt uneasy. “Have you thought about what we talked about earlier?”
“Yes, I have. And as I recall, I already gave you my answer.” DK stood up and moved to the door and opened it.
Holt ignored his invitation to leave and continued. “I understand Commander Crichton is stopping by this afternoon after his Christmas joy ride. Let me make a prediction. He won’t tell you anything. He’ll look you right in the face and lie, tell you that he doesn’t know how the engines work, how any of the technology he’s waving in our faces works.” Holt took out the brown envelope and tossed it on DK’s desk. “When that happens, when you find out just how much your friendship really means to him, call me.”
Holt stood up and walked past him through the open door and DK shut the door behind him. John may be many things; he could be a jerk, he could be vain, he could be a pain in the ass, but he always came through for him. When John returned he’d give him the envelope and tell him everything. Holt could go to hell.
~ * ~
Sometime after he’d taken a break for lunch, the large hangar doors opened and the sleek black prowler was rolled through the open doors. Not long afterwards, the Luxan ship joined it, along with the transport pod. John must be back. He wasn’t hard to miss as he came strolling through the main door wearing sunglasses, a dark jacket over a blue shirt and black jeans.
“DK. You got any coffee in this place?” John said as he took off his glasses and put them away.
“Of course. We couldn’t live without it.” DK said as he showed John to their break room. John grabbed a white mug and filled it with coffee. While he took a sip, Laura walked into the room.
“It’s one of the things I missed. Coffee and chocolate,” John said.
“But I’m sure there were other things that you found out there that were equally wonderful,” Laura said.
John looked down at his mug then back up at Laura. “Nothing like chocolate.”
They started walking together towards the Farscape module. “And there’s nothing here like the technology you brought back.” DK handed John the summaries of their research so far. “Could you take a look at these and tell us what you think?”
John glanced at the papers and handed them back. “I really don’t know how much I can help you out, DK.”
DK was stunned by John’s response. The knot in his stomach returned. He walked over to the module while John leaned against the Luxan ship. “All this crap you’ve tacked on.”
“Hetch drive. FTL.” John said waving his mug in the air.
Stuff they already knew. Except for how it worked. “It can’t work.”
“It’s theoretically impossible,” Laura added. He could hear the frustration in her voice as well.
“Theory is wrong. Newton. Einstein. Hawking. We prove them wrong every time we pop out for groceries,” John said in dryly as he walked away from them.
DK trailed him. He needed more. “Then tell us how it works.”
John kept walking but turned to look at him over his shoulder as he answered. “I didn’t design it, DK. I just installed it. That’s for you to figure out.”
DK was incredulous. John wouldn’t put a hubcap on his car without knowing the specs. He was lying through his teeth. Holt was right. All the resentment and anger he’d felt over the past weeks returned threefold. “Sure, drop it our laps. Let us scratch our heads and look stupid while you go on Nightline or have lunch with the President.”
“We need some help,” Laura pleaded. “We’re Neanderthals trying to understand 747s.”
It was obvious that it fell on deaf ears. John walked through the mobile lab over to one of their laptops and began randomly tapping the keys. “These new laptops are really…nice.” He turned to his wife. “Laura, I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”
Now that answer was pure bullshit. “Then why’d you bring us these ships? If we’re never going to learn anything, why rub our noses in how dumb we are?” Dumb. That was the word. He always felt so dumb in comparison to John.
“You’re not dumb,” John protested weakly. DK could tell he was lying about that too. John couldn’t look him in the eye. What else was John lying about? Was his entire visit a subterfuge or just a chance for John to grandstand on national TV while he kept all the secrets for himself?
“Neither are you,” Laura pressed. “Taka says you asked for a metallurgic analysis of these ships. You’re on the track of something.”
“It’s just a riddle. Why do prowler pilots turn to goo?” He looked away. “Get back to me on that.” John picked up his mug and walked back towards the break room. “I’m going to get a refill of coffee. You guys want some?”
Something snapped inside as he watched John pour himself another cup of coffee. He wasn’t John’s friend. He didn’t even rate sidekick status. He was nothing. And nothing mattered.
John strolled back with the same cocky walk he’d always had. “I’m sorry I can’t help you guys more. Wish I could.”
What he wanted to do was grab John by the throat and scream at him to stop lying, he was sick of being his patsy, he deserved answers and he was going to get them. Instead, he said, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure it out eventually. Just knowing it’s possible helps.”
“Proof of concept,” Laura added. “Though it would have been nice if you could have helped us shorten the time,” she said before one of their team asked her a question and she moved off to one of the work stations.
“Anything else I can do, man?” John asked, as if he cared.
“Well,” DK paused before continuing. “Laura’s heading down to Miami the day after Christmas. The Freedom Bowl’s on-Tennessee versus Boston College. It should be a great game. Just you and me, some pizza and a couple of beers, just like old times. That is if you’ll be around and not appearing on Letterman.”
“No. D’Argo’s got Letterman covered. I can make it. Sounds great.” John put his coffee mug down on one of the work tables. “And DK, thanks for understanding.”
“That’s what friends are for.” He walked beside John to the main door. “I’ll see you later.”
John put on his sunglasses and waited for one of the members of his security detail to open the door. “Later.”
DK watched him get into a black sedan, watched the car drive away into the distance. He walked calmly back to his office and shut the door. The envelope Holt had left was still on his desktop. DK opened it. Inside was a blank business card with a phone number written on it and a small packet filled with white powder.
He flipped open his cell and dialed the number. Holt answered on the first ring and DK said, “John Crichton and I will be at my apartment watching the Freedom Bowl the day after Christmas. We’ll be alone.”
He snapped his cell shut. He thought he would feel something. Anything. But all he felt was the hole where his heart had been.
~ * ~
He couldn’t see. The only sound he heard was screaming. Laura! He couldn’t move, like those times when he’d wake between dream and awareness. But this wasn’t a dream; it was a nightmare-a green monster ambushing them in the parking garage, the crack of the security guard’s pistol to no affect, the tight, slimy grip pressing on his throat. And over and over the same questions repeated, “What has Crichton told you? What has Crichton told you about wormholes?”
He wanted to laugh and cry at once at the irony of the questions. He didn’t try to hide his response, yelling back into the darkness, “John didn’t tell me anything! I was his best friend and he didn’t tell me a thing!”
The pressure on his throat increased. He felt his heart beating wildly against his chest.
Then nothing.
~ * ~
“I’m so sorry, DK,” he heard John whisper.
He could see now. John was standing in front of him wearing a Khaki IASA uniform, looking straight at him and all the hurt and resentment and betrayal that had been between them, sorrow and understanding and forgiveness in his eyes.
“I’m sorry too.”
“S’ok.”
And it was.
“Here.” John held out a hand towards him and he took it. “Let me show you the wonders I’ve seen.”
Then they were flying impossibly fast and he was seeing stars and worlds and people flash by.
Then they stopped.
And it was so beautiful.
~The End~