Installment #4

Chapter 9

The cruiser made a few last minute adjustments and slid effortless into the docking bay. Adrian had already laid out his gear on the conference table and awaited the customs officials. They finally arrived in their impeccable uniforms. They looked every bit military, even though they were just low-level bureaucrats. And they had the condescending air about them that smelled up every room they entered. Adrian had a very low opinion of them, but knew that he needed to toe the line, and not let his contempt for them create any problems. They didn't like troublemakers, and would look for any excuse to hassle visitors, particularly wildcatters who had a well-earned reputation for being, well, a bit "wild."

Adrian handed him his papers, and then stepped back to give them unrestricted access to his gear. The one in front, who was obviously in charge, looked at the papers, then looked at Adrian, then looked back at the papers again. He slowly paged through Adrian's passport and visa documents. He then looked up at Adrian.

"We were told you would be arriving. You can leave your gear here. It will be taken to your quarters. Please come with us." He handed the papers back to Adrian, and gestured for him to proceed through the doorway and up the gangway into the station.

At the top of the gangway, Adrian was met by an attractive young woman. "Hello, Mr. Masters," she said. "I'm Amy Winchester. I work for Juno Mining. Mr. Campbell asked that I help expedite your arrival."

"Please thank Mr. Campbell for me," Adrian said, looking her up and down appreciatively. She shot a disapproving look back. He noticed and continued, "No, really. Please do thank him. I can't tell you how many times I seem to have rubbed customs thugs the wrong way."

"Do tell," she replied.

"Yes, for some reason some people take an immediate dislike to me."

"Do tell," she reiterated.

It was clear to Adrian that she seemed to be taking a similar dislike to him. He didn't think it was a good idea to piss off a representative of the man who was paying his salary, so he decided to take a different tack.

"I'm sorry. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable. It's just . . . well, it's just that I haven't seen anyone as attractive as you in a long time. I have just come back from a long-term project on a distant planet, and I haven't seen a beautiful woman in a very long time. Again, I apologize."

She looked at him hard, and pursed her lips. Then she relaxed and laughed. "I accept your apology. Now, let me show you to your quarters."

She turned sharply and began walking down the corridor at a brisk pace. He could not help but admire her taut body under that business suit. Perhaps it was his imagination, but it seemed as if she was swinging her hips more than she normally would. If she was trying to get his attention, it was working. It had only been two days since he left Eileen, but he already felt a longing for a woman. He would have turned on the charm with Amy, if she hadn't been Campbell's emissary. He had a firm rule. You don't sleep with your boss, or your bosses' representative. So he put any thoughts of a relationship with Amy out of his head. It was to be strictly business. And that was it.

He followed her down several corridors with numbered doors on both sides, until she stopped in front of one of these doors. Number 812. She punched in a code on the keypad and opened the door. They entered to find his gear neatly laid out on the floor and bed.

"I thought you might want to freshen up. I will be back to pick you up in one hour. There is a team meeting planned for that time. Food will be served. But in the meantime," she swept her hand to one side, "there is food in the refrigerator. Please make yourself at home, have a snack, or simply relax." She bowed slightly, turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Adrian looked around. A mid-level hotel room, he thought. But adequate. He didn't know what the schedule was; whether he would be at the station for a day, or a week. He assumed since Campbell's daughter was in danger, Campbell would want the team to leave for the mining site as soon as possible. But even though logic and emotion would seem to make that a reasonable conclusion, the rich didn't necessarily think or feel the same way as a common guy like him. Campbell would want to set his own schedule to meet his own needs. But that was fine with Adrian.

Exactly an hour later, Amy returned for him. She led him back in the same direction they had come from only an hour earlier. Just before reaching that gangway, she turned left and walked down another corridor. After a few minutes, she opened the door on a conference room. He was apparently the last to arrive. He recognized most of those present – he had worked with most of them before. But there was one skinny, strange looking man sitting at the table that he did not recognize.

Amy began by introducing Adrian to all of those present. The one stranger was introduced as Dr. Michael Strong. Amy indicated that he was one of two computer scientists that had designed and programmed the computer system that operated the mining facility, named Site 209, and that he would be accompanying them in case the storm had damaged the computers or neural network attached to the computer. His partner had accompanied the restart team and was one of those they would be looking for at the facility.

Adrian noted that Maria Santos was not one of the assembled group. He breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her. Perhaps she had turned down the job, or if he was lucky, she was dead. Just as that thought left his mind, the door to the conference room open and in she walked.

[Word count for this installment = 1,048]
[Total word count = 7,676]