Summer of Love

The simulation came to a halt. The screens in front of her went blank and the cover to the simulator rose with a grinding whir. Emma pulled off the helmet and wiped sweat from her forehead, blinking her eyes at the bright lights of the room around her.

"Well, Mrs. Carter, what do you think?" her husband leaned over the edge of the simulator.

Emma frowned. "Well, it does seem to perform all functions adequately," she admitted.

Carter grinned and leaned forward, kissing her sweaty neck just below her ear. "You are a cautious old woman, you know that?"

She grinned and caressed his cheek then pulled her feet under her and launched herself in a graceful leap. She easily cleared the edge of the simulator and landed catlike on her feet beside him, hand on the small of his back. "I'm trying to save your very desirable ass, Carter." Her hand moved lower to emphasize her point.

"Such language from a lady!" he replied, placing his arm around her shoulders and steering her towards the door. "Where did you learn to talk like that?"

"Well, my mother always blames you for any bad habits Alex or I picked up."

"What about Richard?"

"Oh, he's perfect, just ask Mama."

Alan touched a button on the side of the slate attached to his belt and the door opened ahead of them. "Meow, meow," he said laughing. "Don't be so catty."

She turned to face him. "I've never even seen a cat."

"And don't be obtuse."

"Never," she leaned forward and kissed him. Her arms went around his waist and she fit against him as if she were created for just this purpose.

"The program worked beautifully!" a jubilant voice said behind them. "Oh, uh, excuse me."

The Carters broke apart with a smile as Neil Garforth stood uncertainly in the doorway. "I thought so too, Neil," Alan said with an easy grin. "You and Davey did a fine job on the new autopilot program."

"Yes, Neil. It worked quite well. We're ready for the final test trials. Can you get it downloaded into the test flight Eagle by eight tomorrow morning?"

"No problem, Emma. We'll be all ready to give you an early start." Neil responded quickly. This had been a major collaboration between him and Davey Kano. Once the program was designed, Davey moved on to other things, leaving Neil with his pilot training to debug and test the autopilot. Neil had logged hours and hours in the simulator and trials aboard an Eagle would be the final step.

"Good job, Neil," Alan said. He glanced at the clock on the nearby commpost. "We need to go pick up the baby."

They moved away from Neil who was headed back to the desk to begin preparations for uploading the autopilot. Emma shook her head. "Mama said she'd get him. She insisted it would be easier than us dropping him off early in the morning."

"Your Dad was okay with that?"

Emma shrugged. "I suppose so. They both go all soppy over Pres. It's that's Grandparent Phenomena again."

"Grandparents always have a special place in their hearts for grandkids." They headed for the travel tube.

"I suppose so. I just find it kind of strange."

"My grandparents were great. They always seemed to have more time to listen to me than my parents. My Grandpa taught me to ride and shoot and fly. My dad was always off working somewhere."

The doors to the travel tube opened and they boarded. "I had you. That was fine with me," Emma said as Alan sat down and she settled into his lap.

Alan sighed. "Can we refrain from considering me a grandfather figure for you? It makes what we have now sound kind of sick."

"Nonsense. I was made for you," she said simply. "There's nothing sick about it." She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"You need a shower."

"Very romantic."

"I'll volunteer to scrub your back."

"Much better." She closed her eyes and pressed her face against his neck.

He rubbed her back, knowing she was stiff from the hours in the simulator although she would never complain. The travel tube slowed down for the next stop. The Carter's apartment was in the center of Alpha, one of the oldest sections. They loved it because it was above ground with windows that looked out toward one of the launch pads and a terrific view of the stars, but they worked in one of the farthest areas of Alpha and had what was one of the longest commutes on Alpha.

The door opened at the stop for the main hydroponics farm. Alex Koenig entered the travel tube and grinned. "If you two want to be alone, I'll wait for the next car."

Alan shifted slightly and Emma slid easily into the seat next to him. Alan answered, "No, that's ok."

The door slid shut as Alex folded his large frame into one of the molded seats across from them. "Hey, did you get an note from Di today?" he asked his sister.

"I haven't checked my slate yet," Emma replied. "Why?"

"She woke up this morning barfing her guts out. When she went to see Mom, it turned out that she's pregnant."

"That's great Alex, congratulations," Alan said.

"Is Dinah feeling better now?" Emma asked.

"Na, she's been sick all day. Hey Alan, want to go shoot some baskets later on?"

Alan shook his head. "We're testing Davey's new autopilot program tomorrow and want to turn in early, although we might go down to the Grotto a little while after dinner."

Alex nodded.

"Alex, you reek," Emma said.

"A fertilizer hose busted this afternoon. I spent most of the afternoon trying to repair it, standing knee deep in shit. I'm getting some good results with those Loki plants that have the seeds with the high protein though. We should be able to domesticate the plant fairly easily."

Emma nodded politely. Her interest in plants was zero. The travel tube slowed and stopped and the three exited. Alex waved goodbye and headed across Alpha's main section to the travel tube that would take him out to his apartment.

Emma and Alan turned the other way towards the stairs and their own apartment.

"My brother is such a jerk," Emma growled. "Di's throwing up and Alex is planning a basketball game. At least he could stay home and watch the baby."

"Don't be too hard on him, love. He's only twenty-two. At that age, I would have chosen the gym over a spewing wife too. And you know Annette is probably watching Bella."

"The Grandparent Phenomena," they said in unison and laughed.

He pulled her into his arms again as they entered their quarters and they shared a long slow kiss that wouldn't be interrupted.

"Want me to scrub your back?" he asked and nibbled her earlobe.

"We'll use up a week's worth of water again and the recycle boys will be sending us those nasty slate notes." Dimming the lights so they could better see the stars, she pulled him toward the sofa underneath the window, offering an alternate plan.

After her shower, Emma slipped into the new dress she and Dinah had just finished making for her. It was a pale peach color, and Emma had fashioned a belt from some polished washers. It reminded Alan of the costumes from the movie Logan's Run. Emma tugged at the beltloops of his old well-worn blue denim jeans. "When are you going to let me make you something else to wear when we're off duty?"

"Hey, these are my favorite jeans, real Levis. They can't be replaced. And they're just well broken in!"

Emma laughed and they headed for supper.

The couple was suited up and aboard the test Eagle by seven the next morning. Both were all business as they plotted the course they expected the Eagle to execute. Alan could tell that Emma was still tense. Her cautious streak was showing and he did his best to tease her a bit to help her relax. Their intention was to manually alter course and speed over the course of the next twenty-four hours and allow the autopilot to correct and bring them back on course for Loki. The autopilot should also avoid known hazards as well as detect items that were not listed in the database. Alan had sent an Eagle out to arrange several hazards yesterday. He had the list of coordinates for surprise hazards on his slate.

The two took turns carefully watching the Eagle's course as the autopilot performed flawlessly. Whenever they moved the Eagle off course, it responded easily. Then it quickly corrected itself at the proper time. Emma took a break first, checked her slate notes and read the boards while Alan remained on duty. She fixed lunch and began work on an attachment to a universal joint for one of the tractors at Dover. Then she returned to the command module and relieved Alan who fixed supper for them both, then stretched out on the bunk for a short nap. Emma would get a chance for some sleep later.

Emma watched the readouts like a hawk. She had insisted on the double blind test, not knowing where the additional hazards were. She felt it kept her more alert. When the program detected something ahead, she watched carefully. Instead of changing the course and reporting to the pilot, this time the program flashed, "ANOMALLY" on the screen and maintained course. Emma frowned and moved from the pilot's seat to the co-pilot’s seat which included a link to the science station. She used the scanners which showed absolutely nothing. The hazards should have easily showed up. All were empty containers ranging in size from the cargo section of an Eagle to a standard shipping container. Each contained a transmitter that could be activated for retrieval, but the transmitters were not currently active.

She returned to the pilot's station. No course change had been made, but the data screen was still flashing the enigmatic message. She had no clue what it meant. She contacted Alpha. Neil's face appeared instantly.

"Neil, what is it trying to tell me when it says, 'ANOMALLY'?"

Neil looked puzzled. "I never programmed it to say anything like that."

"What happens when you have an unknown object?"

"It should simply indicate an object ahead and give you the distance. It doesn't really try to identify anything."

"Well, that's what it did with the other hazards, but this one is different."

Neil checked his instruments. "We’ll check it out."

"Find Davey. See if he knows anything about this message." Emma requested. Neil nodded. "Also, contact Main Mission. Have them use the long range scanners along bearing 421. They might be able to pick up something my scanners are missing."

Neil broke the connection. Emma called Alan in the rear of the Eagle.

"Alan, are you awake?"

"Yes, love. What is it?"

"I didn’t want to wake you, but I need you up here. The programming is reacting strangely to one of the hazards and my scanners aren’t interpreting it correctly."

By the time she had finished the sentence, he was at her side, slipping into the co-pilot’s seat. He pulled out his slate and compared their position to the list of hazards.

"Perhaps this one is too small for the scanners to detect?" she asked.

Alan glanced at her. "This isn’t one of our hazards."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

Before she could reply, alarms began going off on every board. Alan quickly flipped a switch to place them in constant communication with Alpha. A proximity alarm was their greatest concern, and Emma disconnected the autopilot and prepared to move the Eagle, just as soon as she could find something to move away from. Suddenly the command module was lit by a blinding light coming through the window. Alan tried to keep a running commentary of readings for Emma, although neither had any idea which way they should move.

"Test Eagle, we’re detecting a nodule of energy just ahead of you."

"So are we, Alpha," Alan growled at the useless information Alpha was sending him. "Emma, I’m getting readings of a large mass 15 kms ahead bearing 426. Pull up."

"I’m trying! We seem to be caught in some kind of current."

"Turn the Eagle around. Fire all rockets!"

"Affirmative." Emma was struggling with the controls but remaining calm. For a moment the light seemed to dim, and it appeared that the Eagle was turning, then the light engulfed them. It was almost as if the light was shining right through them and the Eagle. Then almost like the snapping of a rubber band the light stopped. Alan looked ahead. There was no afterimage on his eyes. What he could see was the moon’s surface rising to meet him quickly.

"Pull up!"

Emma pulled up, and the Eagle leveled out a few kilometers above the surface, then the Eagle began pulling away from the surface. "We weren’t anywhere near the moon! I’d swear on it!" Emma was insistent.

"Alpha, do you copy? We appear to have hit a small space warp." Alan reported.

Emma shook her head. "Couldn’t be. Not within the star system. I’ve read everything Professor Bergman and Maya wrote on the subject. The gravitational effect of a star dampens the tendency toward warp fields."

"Obviously there are exceptions," Alan stated drily. "Alpha, respond please. Emma, I’m not getting a response from them." He began scanning frequencies as Emma moved the Eagle into a more stable orbit and began to check for landmarks to get her bearings.

Static greeted him on the usual frequencies and he ordered the computer to do a complete scan.

"Dizzy—I’m so Dizzy my head is spinning—" the song faded out and an old-time DJ’s voice filled the cabin. "And that hit has fallen another five points on the charts this week. Stay tuned for the news."

Alan frowned. Maybe it was one of Davey’s jokes. Or perhaps Manny was working on one of his ideas regarding a television station. Maybe he was trying some kind of radio broadcast.

The speaker crackled. "All eyes are on the moon tonight as America wins the space race. In a few short hours, Apollo 11 astronauts will begin their descent to the surface of the moon. Stay tuned to the Mutual Radio network where we will take you live to the moon’s surface."

Alan glanced at Emma whose eyes were wide with surprise. "Alan, I’m not picking up any of the standard beacons."

"What do you have on visual?" Alan glanced ahead of him at the view port. Emma had oriented the Eagle so that the moon’s surface was ‘up’ in the view port. A glance told him that he was over the rugged terrain of Farside but well away from the huge craters that were the former nuclear waste disposal areas.

"The terrain matches with that over Farside observatory. Their beacon isn’t there. We should be coming up on Mare Imbrium in about ten minutes at this speed. I ended up with a lot of forward motion once I pulled out of the dive."

Another proximity indicator went off and Alan pulled up the item on the screen. It was little bigger than a cargo section. Emma spotted it at the same time and moved to avoid the cylinder. "Alan, that looked like an Apollo service module." It had been one of the first models she had reproduced as a child.

"Yeah," Alan drawled distractedly. He recalled the only radio signal he had picked up, and looked up out the window. Emma had rolled the Eagle in her maneuver to avoid the … was it really an Apollo capsule?

"Oh… my… god!" his voice awed, surprised, and slightly fearful.

Above him, capped in brilliant white, with sunshine glaring off the blue oceans and dark green land masses was the most beautiful globe he’d ever seen.

"Alan… Alan, that’s not Loki." Emma said quietly.

Alan used the scanners to bring up a view of the planet on the screens between them. Somehow it seemed more real that way. Alan examined the image closely, unwilling to believe what he was seeing. Emma watched curiously as well. The computer was still scanning for signals. The speaker crackled. "Houston this is Columbia. We have just cleared radio shadow of the moon. Please transfer to frequency "C" for detailed information."

"This is Houston, we copy."

The computer had no problem following the transmission to the secure channel.

"Houston, we just had a sighting on farside. It passed us like we were standing still."

"Columbia, a meteor?"

"No way. It was white, cigar shaped and fast."

"Are you saying you saw a UFO?"

"I’m saying something passed by us fast enough to break orbit."

"Neil, if the press gets wind of this, or God forbid, the shrinks here at NASA—"

"Deke, that’s why I’m using this channel."

"Return to clear channel and we’ll call it an… ice crystal going past your window."

"Backwards?"

"We’ll be forced to abort the mission otherwise."

"All right Houston, an ice crystal it is. Returning to clear channel."

The conversation returned to a different channel and became more official. Both transmissions crackled and hissed, with much interference. Emma and Alan listened in silence. Then Alan began plotting a new course.

"We need to get out of here."

"We need to go home." Emma replied.

"We’ll try. But right now we need to be well away from the moon. It’s the focus of all Earth’s attention right now."

"Where will we go?"

"Earth. We’ll head for Earth, lay low for a while. Use the Eagle’s computer to figure out what happened. Once the Apollo 11 mission is over we’ll be able to come back and try to find that space warp again."

"Alan, it really can’t be a space warp."

"We’re not arguing that here. Earth at this time was really touchy. If they spot us they’re very likely to throw nuclear missles at us."

"Nuclear weapons?" Emma asked, surprised.

"Didn’t you ever do your history lessons?"

"Not if I could threaten Richie into doing my homework for me," she said with distraction. She was accepting the course he was setting that would take them in a wide arc away from the moon and come into the Earth well away from the moon."

"Where are we going to go?"

Alan had been considering that. His first thought had been his grandfather’s ranch in Australia, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to involve his grandfather in this. Then he realized that he knew the perfect spot. At this point in time he knew exactly where he and his parents were and what they were doing. "I know a place we can use."

As their course took them away from the Moon, and around Earth the computer continued to scan for signals and report back with a listing on one of the screens and a sampling of the strongest signals over the speakers. All were as full of crackle and hiss as listening to the audio signal of a sun spot, but behind the crackle came voices, speaking a myriad of Earth languages, more than Emma had ever heard. The sound of a choir took over for a few seconds, more voices than the entire population of Alpha. She recognized the music as something Davey had once played. Then the computer moved on. The unintelligible languages poured over her, giving her an increasing feeling of dread. A tear slid down her cheek.

Alan was absorbed in his own thoughts as he plotted a course most likely to prevent their detection by various defense agencies. He was relieved they had landed in a time of fairly primitive detection devices. He was still concerned that their presence might set off a nuclear confrontation. He couldn’t quite bring himself to believe that was impossible because it would create a paradox. He’d seen too many things in his lifetime that could have been considered impossible.

His thoughts turned more personal. Remembering his last brief return to Earth and how ill Helena had become he couldn’t help worrying about Emma. Had they even bothered to immunize Alpha’s children against common childhood illnesses? What if she caught the measles—or even a cold! He gave a worried glance at her and noticed the tear on her cheek. He immediately commanded the computer to silence the search program and asked her, "What’s wrong, Em?"

She looked down at her hands. "If this is Earth… are you going to…" she bit her bottom lip and struggled to continue. "Are you going to want to stay?" Her voice was low, barely above a whisper.

"Stay? What makes you think I’d want to stay?"

She sighed, "Well, most of the grownups are always talking about how great Earth is and how much they miss it…"

Alan moved out of the co-pilot’s seat and knelt beside her chair. He wiped away the tear on her cheek and laced his fingers to hers, bringing her hand to his lips. "You don’t usually lump me in with the other grownups."

"No, but…" she began shakily.

"Don’t you remember? I’ve told you this before. At Breakaway, I was in the only working Eagle around. I chose to be on Alpha and not turn back to Earth."

She nodded.

"Alpha is our home. It’s where our family is—your mom and dad, even the brothers you like to fight with so much. And especially Preston. We’re going to get back to our little boy as soon as possible. We’ve just got to get out of the sky while everyone is watching up here. Then we’ll be able to come back and find that space warp."

Emma nodded again reluctantly. Her arms crept around his neck and she lay her head against his shoulder. "I don’t want to be here."

"Me neither. We’ll get home just as soon as possible."

"Where are we going to go?"

"Houston."

"Is that in Australia? Where your home was?"

"It’s in North America. I used to live there. So did your mom and dad at various times."

Emma considered. Her parents rarely talked about their life on Earth. Occasionally they mentioned childhood activities, but if they had ever mentioned a Houston she didn’t recall. Now than Alan mentioned it, she did remember him talking about living in a place called Houston as a young man. She also began to recall the names and shapes of the continents from the old globe in her father’s office.

"Why there?"

"I know a place we can go there. We should be able to get some money and a place to stay for at least a month."

"Where?"

"My parents had a house there in 1969. Dad’s engineering firm sent him to be a consultant for the space program. They designed a portion of the rocket engine that was used on the Saturn V."

"I remember you telling me that," Emma smiled briefly. She felt safer with any mention of engineering. "Your parents will help us?"

"My parents, and me and my little sister are spending a month in Florida. My dad managed to land VIP passes for the liftoff and we spent the month of July and part of August in Cocoa Beach. It’s something my dad and mom were always telling us about, so I remember a little bit about it—at least second hand. But the house in Houston should be empty."

"They wouldn’t assign it to someone else?"

"Houses don’t work that way here," Alan said with a smile. "Now, I’ve got a pretty complicated course to fly to try to get us there without being shot out of the sky." He turned and sat on the deck, hand resting on her thigh while he pointed out a course coming into the atmosphere over Antarctica, across the Pacific, approaching Central America from the South and flying over Mexico into the United States. He squeezed Emma’s knee. "And if you hadn’t let Richie do your homework you’d know why."

Emma leaned forward and kissed his temple. Hearing the names of countries had brought back things she had learned either from school or old movies she had watched. She pointed out the U.S. on the map. "The United States major enemy was to the north," she touched the controls and rotated the picture of the globe. "The Soviets on the large continent, Asia, over the pole. Mexico, to the south," she rotated the map again, "was a friendly nation with few offensive capabilities."

Alan looked at his wife with a grin. "You did pay attention in history classes."

"That was more James Bond than history class," she responded with a smile.

"Well, I expect some of my knowledge of the sixties comes from Bond movies too."

"Besides, Sean Connery was the sexiest of all the Bonds. I watched him the most."

"Hmm," Alan ran his hand over his head, hair close cropped where he still had any. "I always thought I resembled Roger Moore."

Emma laughed. "Whatever you say darling. Let’s get this bird on the ground."

Alan took the controls and Emma assisted, keeping an eye out for any air traffic nearby.

They remained supersonic as long as they could. Once they approached land they had to slow to subsonic. He began humming "Treetop Flier" as he followed the valleys northward, staying below hill lines and well away from the coast. His instruments were fully capable of detecting obstacles. Any other copilot might have been a bit nervous, but he had Emma’s trust. They turned east well across the border and headed for Houston.

They flew south of the city, still staying no more than fifty meters off the ground. They avoided two oil refineries lit up with thousands of lights along the maze of pipes. It was huge compared to the small refinery on the northern continent of Loki that supplied Alpha’s modest needs. Emma kept an eye on the computer’s detection equipment. About the only way they could be spotted besides plain sight was point blank radar, but no pings were detected. The terrain below was flat with vegetation looking much like Dover’s rice fields. The sun was just beginning to rise when the rice fields gave way to drier fields of some kind of grain growing closely together, then a series of buildings could be seen on the horizon. There were lights adorning the buildings. Alan dropped the Eagle lower, staying just above the ground. There were occasional larger vegetation, some kind of tree, but at this speed, there was no way to tell what kind of trees they were. They appeared bigger than the fruit trees she was used to. Other structures appeared on the horizon as Alan reduced speed. Ahead were some round structures. Alan headed for them, slowing to the point where he was almost hovering. The structure was like a round tunnel sitting on top of the ground. Alan flew right into the tunnel and set the Eagle down gently.

"Where are we?"

Alan finished shutting down the Eagle and grinned at his wife. "We are inside the first stage of a Saturn V booster rocket."

"You’re kidding."

"Well, close enough. It’s a mock-up for display purposes here. My dad brought me out here to see it. It didn’t have the support structure of the real ones and after they’d had it on display for a while, it began to collapse from the top. That kind of spoiled it for tourists who kept asking if the real ones did that too. They moved it to the back of the land the Manned Space Flight Center is on and abandoned it. Dad brought me out to see it and took a picture of me standing beside it. We would barely fit inside a real one, but this one is oblong instead of circular, I was pretty sure we’d fit right inside." He looked out. There was still several meters of overhang ahead of them, then the orange glow of sunrise on the horizon.

"Now what?"

"We’ll pack the interstellar transmitter in a backpack and take it with us," Alan said standing up from the pilot’s seat and heading aft. "We can use that to communicate with the Eagle’s computer without detection. Then we’ll walk out to the highway and try to get a ride."

Emma followed him, pulling ration packs from a cabinet. Alan paused from removing the transmitter and watched her. She noticed his gaze. "What?"

Alan put one hand on his forehead and the other on his hip. "I wish we had some other clothes. We don’t really fit in. But at least we’re wearing flight suits. The Shermeenflax is about the same color as NASA jumpsuits, even if the material is different."

"I suppose you’d rather have your jeans," she teased.

"Well, they’d fit in better. But that dress of yours…" he thought about it. Perhaps the short skirt wouldn’t be too out of place. He turned back to the transmitter. "At least we aren’t wearing standard Alpha uniforms."

"Ah, neutral beige, which looks equally bad on everyone," Emma grinned. She wore the standard uniform only when attending staff meetings, or other official functions. The rest of the time she preferred the sturdier flight suits.

"Anything else we’ll need?" she asked as he shouldered a backpack.

"No. Give me one of those ration packs though. We won’t have any money until we can make it to my dad’s place."

"I thought it was near here."

"Well, about thirty kilometers or so."

"Your dad lived thirty kilometers away from where he worked?"

"Sure. Lots of people did."

"Well, why?"

Alan frowned. It was something he was used to. He’d never thought about why. "I don’t know. That’s just where the house was that he bought. It was a residential area with stores and parks nearby. There wasn’t much of anything out here by the center. Ready?"

"Sure."

Emma opened the door to the Eagle and took her first breath of real Earth air. She didn’t notice Alan’s cautious look behind her. He was still remembering her mother’s illness on their last attempt at a return to Earth. They stepped down onto the smooth metal that was the interior of the Saturn V and turned toward the sunrise. Emma closed the door with her slate and looked at her husband. "Are you sure it’ll be ok here?"

"No one ever comes out here," he assured her.

She nodded and they edged underneath the forward Eagle landing pad which was centimeters away from the edge of the misshapen cylinder. Sand had drifted into the tube and grass grew right up to the edge. It was similar to some of the thick mosses of Loki, but taller. She leaned down to touch it and her hand came back wet.

"Dew," Alan explained. "It’s very heavy here. We’re close to the coast." He pointed her toward the south and they quickly came to a gravel road which led toward the lighted buildings in the distance.

They had walked only a few yards when there was a rustling in the grass next to the road. Emma froze as a small animal dashed out into the road in front of them. The small animal had a rounded body and a long pointed snout and tail. It stopped a couple of meters in front of them and turned small eyes toward them. Then it scurried away. Emma watched as it disappeared into the tall grass.

"Was that a cat?" she asked almost fearfully.

"It was an armadillo. It won’t hurt you." Alan said with a smile.

Emma nodded and smiled. "Like the "Just So" story?"

"That’s it," he said with a grin and they walked on. The sun was rising to their left and a flock of egrets flew overhead. They watched them pass over, calling to each other. A buzzing started next to the road and Emma jumped and grasped Alan’s hand. "Crickets," Alan explained. "Insects."

"Do they do that all the time?"

"Off and on." He replied. "Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you."

"So many different animals! Alex would be fascinated."

"Yeah."

They pushed on. The gravel road wound nearly a kilometer before it turned into a paved road. They passed a number of large buildings and the nearly deserted parking lot. Streetlights clicked off above them as they made their way to the highway. Alan hoped to get to the highway before people began arriving at the Space Center for the day. Fortunately, the security around here concentrated on the buildings, not the entire grounds. Once they got to the highway there would be fewer people who might notice them and ask questions. Alan also watched Emma closely. The day was already warm and humid. She showed no sign of discomfort, but he still was worried that she might catch something.

Two cars passed them without slowing down.

"When we get to the highway, I’ll try to get us a ride. Let me do the talking. Don’t say anything."

"How are you going to get us a ride?"

"Usually someone will stop. We’re pretty far out of town. If we’re asked, our car broke down and we need a ride back to Houston. But your accent doesn’t sound like it’s from around here."

"And yours does?"

"It can," he said with a grin. "And we’re not going to mentioned being married."

Emma sighed. "Because I’m so much younger."

"Yes, because of that, and because I intend to tell people as little as possible about us. I don’t want them to have any reason to remember us."

"That makes sense."

There was another rustling in the grass just ahead of them and another animal slid into their path. Alan had been assuring her that everything was harmless and Emma was surprised when he put an arm around her waist and pulled her back.

"That’s a snake, isn’t it?" She asked, intrigued.

"Yes, a rattlesnake. And they’re poisonous."

They stood still and watched as the snake slithered across the road and disappeared into the grass on the other side.

"How do you know?" Emma asked quietly as they watched the snake.

"Know what?"

"That it’s poisonous."

"I recognized it. It has a distinctive pattern." Alan nodded as the snake disappeared and they began walking again.

"What other dangerous animals should I know about?"

"Not many. And you won’t see many rattlesnakes."

"That’s comforting," she said without conviction.

They reached the highway without further incidents and turned right. The sun was completely above the horizon now and cars zoomed along the road on a regular basis. The rumbling and knocking of a diesel engine caused Emma to look behind her and she stopped and stared at the enormous vehicle bearing down on them. Alan took her arm and tugged her into the grass by the side of the road as the truck passed by. Just as it pulled alongside them it made a long hooting sound. Emma jumped. "What’s that for?"

"He was just blowing his horn. To make sure you got off the road," Alan explained. "They’re moving at a right fast pace along here. You have to stay out of their way."

They continued walking at a brisk pace. As cars passed, Alan held out his arm toward the road, hand in a fist, thumb pointed in the direction they were walking. They didn’t slow to watch the cars. Alan wanted as much distance as possible between him and the Space Center. After about twenty minutes of walking a rusted out truck pulled off the road in front of them. It was towing a trailer constructed of equally rusty bars and one axle with two small wheels. In the trailer were crowded a half dozen animals that looked eye to eye with Emma through the bars. They were jet black with beady black eyes, wrinkled baggy necks and tails that swished constantly, despite the crowded conditions. There was a horrendous smell, worse than Alex fresh from hydroponics, and a cloud of insects seemed to hover around them.

Emma was astounded and a bit fearful about the insects but Alan hurried her past the animals, motioning her silence before she had a chance to ask about them. The truck had rounded fenders and hood, a small bed filled with tools, some kind of baled up and dried grass and lots of dirt. The truck was of an indeterminate color with puckers of rust budding up through the dust-covered paint. The windows on both sides of the truck were open and the inside was as dingy and colorless as the outside. Alan leaned against the window without opening the door.

The man inside seemed ancient, and as dingy as his truck. He wore a hat that Emma could only describe as a straw cowboy hat. She’d seen John Wayne wear hats shaped like that in the movies, but this one was as battered and dirty as the truck. She wasn’t sure why anyone would want to put something like that on their head. The grizzled face looked a bit deformed, one cheek poking out more than the other. "Howdy," the old man said.

"Mornin’," Alan replied in a voice deeper than normal.

"Y’all need a ride?" At least that’s what Emma thought he said. It came out a bit garbled, as if there were something in the old man’s mouth. The consonants were nearly non-existant and the ‘I’ in ride came out a bit like a short ‘a’ but longer, and more drawn out.

"Much obliged," Alan replied shortly, drawing out the second word much as the old man had, with the same ‘a’ sound in obliged and no ‘d’ on the end. He opened the door and stepped into the truck, pulling Emma in behind him. She closed the door and tried not to look terrified or bewildered. The old man pulled some kind of pouch out of his shirt pocket and handed it over to Alan as he pulled back on the road.

Alan nodded and responded with a "thankee", or at least that’s what it sounded like to Emma. She stared straight ahead but watched Alan out of her peripheral vision. He opened the metallic pouch and pulled out a bit of brown chopped vegetation that appeared a bit moist. He tucked the mass into his mouth, down in his cheek so that it bulged like the old man’s. The old man leaned out the truck window and spit a brown stream of liquid then accepted the rolled up pack back from Alan.

"War ya heddid?" The old man asked.

"Houston," Alan drawled around the stuff in his mouth. "Fine cattle."

"Thee bes’. Pure bred Angus. Bes’ beef on the hoof. Gonna git top dolla."

Emma felt like she was listening to a foreign language. Fortunately Alan seemed to be fluent. She listened with fascination.

"Aimin’ ta auction ‘em?"

"’s affernoon. You know cattle?"

"Some," Alan admitted vaguely. "Good time to sell off the youn’uns lak that."

Young ones? Emma thought. The animals in the trailer were huge. What would they be like when they were grown?

The two men continued to exchange comments about the animals in the trailer. Alan leaned over Emma and spit out the window a couple of times. The first time startled Emma as a stream of brown liquid shot out the window. Both men appeared to completely ignore her. The old man spit out his own window with regularity. Fields of grass and stands of trees, tall trees, gave way to houses, then signs and stores. They pulled up to a stop at another large road with buildings lining the road. A large building on the corner had a sign on the front with an pink animal that looked right out of cartoons. The signed proclaimed the building a "Piggly Wiggly". Alan nudged Emma and turned to the old man. "We’ll get out here. Much obliged for the ride." He leaned over Emma and pulled the release for the door. Emma slid out and looked back into the truck. The old man leaned out his window and spit again, another brown stream of liquid. Then he turned back and pushed up his hat brim. "Missy," he said indistinctly. Alan slid out of the truck and waived, then took Emma’s elbow and they walked slowly away from the truck. The traffic began to move again and the truck pulled away with its smelly cattle watching sullenly from the back.

"Where are we?"

"On the edge of Houston. It’s not far now, down this road. Once we get there and find some money, we’ll probably come back here for some food." He indicated the Piggly Wiggly.

"This place dispenses food?"

"Yeah. It’s a grocery store. They have all kinds of food." He was still mumbling from the stuff in his mouth. Once he was certain the old man was well out of sight, he spat out the wad of leaves and brown juice.

"What is that stuff?"

"Chewing tobacco. On the whole, I’d rather he offered me that than a cigarette, but I’ve never been fond of the stuff."

"Why did you take it then?"

"It would have been rude not to. It made us blend in better."

"I’m glad he didn’t offer it to me."

"Ladies don’t chew. At least not in public."

"It looked kind of disgusting."

They were walking by another road, nearly as busy as the last. They passed behind the Piggly Wiggly and followed a concrete walkway next to the road. The buildings along here were smaller. Alan described them as individual houses. Some of the buildings they had passed before were apartment buildings, others were shops and stores selling all sorts of things. Alan didn’t seem to mind talking as they walked along in front of neat houses, each with a grassy front yard and a piece of concrete that led to the back of the house, Alan called that a driveway. He explained that here, just about everyone had their own car for transportation. It seemed wasteful to Emma, but there certainly did seem to be a lot of cars on the roads.

He didn’t try to catch a ride here, and ignored the cars streaming past, most going the opposite direction. There were almost no trucks, either small trucks like the old man’s or the larger trucks she had seen on the other road.

They turned right at the next road which then curved around to their left. The houses were all made of brick, most either white or a pale pink sort of brick. There were no tall trees here, just small young trees in neat front yards. Most of the houses had a kind of sameness to them. Alan explained that this was a new section of the city, mostly built within the last few years as the Space Center had attracted more people. People were moving into the area so fast that strangers wouldn’t be noticed. Emma found that odd, but then she reminded herself that there were millions of people on this planet, so you couldn’t possibly know them all. It was a thought she had a hard time getting her mind around and really believing.

Alan led her up one of the driveways. Emma wasn’t certain how he could so easily pick out the right place, but he seemed perfectly certain. They followed the drive to the back of the house. The back yard was also paved with grass, and a small area of concrete that contained a concrete table and benches. In the back of the yard by a wooden fence sat a play set with swings and a slide, looking not too different from the sets of pipes, chains and sheet metal that she and her brothers had played on in the gym when they were little. There was also an area with shiny white sand, a few tiny trucks half buried in the sand. She could imagine a two year old Alan building roads in the sand for the trucks to drive on, much as he had lately been showing their own son, Preston how to play. She stood on the patio and surveyed the back yard while Alan went to the rain gutter and reached up inside. He pulled out a small box with a magnetic strip on it.

"Fortunately, my mother was always losing her keys. Dad always hid keys to everything around the place so that Mum could unlock the door or use the car without calling him back from work. There’ll be a set of car keys hidden in the house."

"You were only two, how do you know where they are?"

Alan laughed. "Dad trusted me with keys more at the age of two than he ever did Mum. She left them everywhere."

They opened the screen door and entered a porch with a neat stack of toys in one corner. Emma recognized small toy trucks, airplanes, and some kind of rocket ship all tumbled together in a crate in the corner with various building blocks.

"I don’t remember this porch ever being this neat. Mum let us play out here a lot, and we generally had a layer of toys over the whole floor. Even pictures of us playing on the porch always included all the toys spread around." He crossed the porch and used the small metal key to open the door. He put the key back in the little box and stepped back out to return the key to its hiding place. They entered a neatly tiled kitchen with a table next to the door. The table had two chairs, and two high chairs. The kitchen was larger than any Emma had ever seen in a dwelling for a single family. The refrigerator alone was huge. There was a stovetop with four burners, and two ovens built into the wall. There were lots of cabinets on the wall. It was immense.

Alan closed the door and leaned against it, relaxing for the first time since they had arrived here. He watched Emma wander around the kitchen, knowing she was thinking about how big it was. To him it seemed smaller than it had in his memory. He locked the door behind him and sighed. Now that they were here, he could feel exhaustion creeping over him. He moved into the living room. Again, with the small children who usually inhabited it away, it was neater than he remembered—and smaller. He moved down the hall and looked into the small bedroom that had been his sister’s. It was decorated in pinks, with pictures of lambs on the wall and a white crib and drawers and lace curtains.

Emma appeared behind him. "What a pretty room."

"My sister’s. Mine was—is across the hall."

Emma pulled away and Alan followed her to the next doorway. This room was done in blues and reds, with a star field painted on the ceiling and pictures of Mercury, Gemini & Apollo rockets on the walls. There was a mural over the small single bed, a picture of a jet aircraft streaming through the blue sky, a globe of Earth below with the southernmost continents of Antarctica and Australia prominent. Alan walked over and touched the painting.

"Who did that?"

"My mum. I think she was homesick. We moved back home around Christmas time that year." Alan sighed. The thought of his family being so close—on the same continent—was getting to him. Most of the time he didn’t think about them and how far away they were, how long it had been since he’d seen them. Being here in this house was bringing back memories of how much his family had made him the person that he was, and how much he missed them all, his parents, his sisters, his uncle and grandparents. He rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted. Right now all he wanted was a bath and some sleep. He’d worry about food for them when he woke up.

Around the corner at the end of his bedroom was another short hallway with a bathroom, and a room that contained a cluttered desk and bookshelves with an incredible amount of books, papers and magazines. Alan described it as his father’s office and headed for the room at the end of the hallway. It was his parents’ bedroom and had its own bath. He opened the door. This area of the house, office and bedroom, had always been off limits to his two year old self. He couldn’t remember being in here, and could remember no pictures of this section of the house either. The bed surprised him. It was a king sized waterbed, with padded sides and headboard. He grinned. Well, he wouldn’t want his two-year-old son playing on his waterbed either.

Fortunately, he wasn’t two any more. It was the only bed in the house large enough for both he and Emma. He peeled off his jumpsuit and headed for the shower. He knew he didn’t have to explain his intentions to Em, she was right behind him. This wouldn’t be a water wasting shower though, neither had the energy for anything but getting clean and crawling into bed. Once out of the shower he found them each a towel. He shaved quickly using his father’s electric razor while Emma towel dried her hair. She beat him to the bed by just a few minutes and was already sound asleep by the time he crawled into bed. The odd motion of the waterbed didn’t bother him a bit. He put his arm around Em and was instantly asleep.

The Ford Mustang roared down the road, top down, radio turned up full blast. Preston Carter swore silently as the song "Sugar" began playing for the third time since they left College Station. Desiree took another pull on the joint she had just lit and began to sing along off key, but enthusiastically. Preston glared at her but she paid no attention. Obviously stoned was the best way to tolerate the "Archies". Preston wished there was some way to listen to a tape reel in the car. A friend had just sent him a tape from the latest Grateful Dead concert in San Francisco.

If Preston hadn’t spent half of last semester staring at the psychadelic poster on his ceiling while toking one joint after another he could have taken the summer off. Once his grades were out, a scorching phone call from his father and a visit from his older brother had convinced Preston that he’d better toe the line this summer or his funds would be cut off. But it meant attending summer session rather than driving the Mustang to San Francisco with a couple of buddies in search of the summer of love.

This weekend, however, would be different. He’d invited some buddies to come watch the moon landing, which was the ‘official’ reason for the party. Several of his friends would be bringing the grass and the beer. He had the Grateful Dead tapes, and his brother was providing the prime stereo system—as well as the house. Not that his brother knew about that, but Preston knew the coast was clear this weekend, and he knew where Bob hid the key. Tonight, he and Desiree would try out that waterbed that Bob had told him about. Then tomorrow they’d have a blow out party that would last all weekend. He grinned, and was startled to find he was tapping his finger to the beat of "Sugar". He rolled his eyes and grinned, thinking about the waterbed.

By the time they made their way across Houston it was nearly dark. Preston put stop lights to good use, leaning over to neck, and get Desiree primed and ready for the waterbed. He pulled into the driveway and put the top up. Desiree got her bags out of the back while he got the key out of the hiding place in the gutter. Once they were inside, he pulled her into his arms for a hungry kiss. He locked the door behind them and she dropped her bags on the floor, returning the kiss enthusiastically. He led her to the bedroom and the waterbed.

Emma lay back on the bed and giggled. The motion of the waterbed made her bounce up and down in an uneven manner, first a hip, then a shoulder then her head as the waves traveled across the bed. Alan sat back with a grin of his own. "That’s not your usual reaction to my technique."

"It’s not…" she gasped, trying to control the giggles. "… you. It’s this bed. Freefall was easier. We just don’t have the rhythm down yet." She giggled again.

"Well, practice makes perfect," he quipped.

"I don’t want to practice." Emma said, her voice tinged with frustration. "Have you ever done this before?"

He shook his head, and had to admit he agreed with his wife. They had never been clumsy or awkward together, and the waves on the waterbed were distracting and a bit annoying. They had awakened together, both feeling a deep need for physical reassurance from the other. The bed was getting in the way. He looked around and moved to the head of the bed. He sat on the leather covered edge, leaned against the padded headboard and held out his hand to Emma. She rolled over and crawled up into his lap. She put her arms around his neck as she straddled him. She leaned forward, hungry for his kiss on more stable ground.

"Better?" he asked much later.

"Oh yes, much better," she murmured breathlessly.

Just at that moment the bedroom door opened wide and a young man ushered a young woman into the room. The two stood in the doorway gaping at the couple on the bed. Their intimate position left no room for doubt and the two men’s eyes met in shocked recognition.

"Preston!"

"Dad!"

The two exclaimed at the same time.

"Oh, my God! Dad!"

Emma twisted around as Alan called out the familiar name. "That’s Preston?" she asked, surprised and intrigued.

Preston turned and headed down the hallway holding Desiree by the elbow and pulling her along. His mind was in reeling and he wasn’t certain what he was going to do. Embarrassment was foremost in his mind, and confusion. What was his dad doing here? He shouldn’t even be on this continent—on this side of the world! And what was he doing with that girl who knew his name? What would Mum say? How could his dad do something like that? With an odd twinge of guilt a small part of his mind asked how he could best use this to his advantage. Maybe his dad would be agreeable to letting him stay in America, well away from Mum. Maybe there wouldn’t be so much fuss about grades.

"Preston. Wait!" Alan tumbled Emma off his lap and rolled to the side of the bed, struggling against the tide of the waterbed. He managed to hit the floor and grab a pair of his father’s jeans from the closet shelf and pulled them on quickly. He tossed Emma a silk robe hanging on a nail in the closet and dashed out of the bedroom.

"Preston!" Alan caught up with him in the living room. "Preston, it’s not what you think."

"How do you know what I think? I think you were fucking her. Am I wrong?" Preston turned, shock and anger turning his face red.

"Not about that," Alan had to admit. "But Preston, I’m not you’re dad."

That gave the younger man pause. He stared at Alan and could come up with no better rejoinder than a confused "What?"

"I’m not your dad," Alan said in a quieter voice. Emma arrived at the door to the living room wrapped in the dark green silk, eyes wide as she watched Alan hold out his left hand toward Preston.

Preston stood still and stared at the hand held out to him, then at the face. "Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"I thought you were certain he was your father," Desiree said.

"It’s not him. My father is missing two fingers on his left hand." Preston looked closer at Alan’s face. "But he sure looks like him in every other way." He repeated, "Who are you?"

Alan stared at his uncle. He looked much younger than Alan ever remembered, and skinnier. He was wearing a colorful tye-died tee shirt and a fringed black leather vest with blue jeans and sandals, the picture of a sixties hippie. He glanced at the girl standing behind Preston. She was plump and chesty with long blonde hair held back with a leather headband. Her blouse strained against the buttons and her cotton skirt covered all-mother hips. Alan remembered that she spent most of the time he had known her with a baby on one of those hips. She’d been born to have children and his cousins just never seemed to stop coming. Of course the last time he’d seen her it had been one of her grandchildren she was holding. "That’s Deanna?" He could just barely recognize her and the red rimmed eyes and the distinctive sweet odor about the two worried him.

"Her name is Desiree," Preston said.

Desiree leaned forward and whispered. "That’s my real name. How’d he know it?"

Alan heard Emma stir restlessly behind him. He wasn’t sure himself what he should say, but he decided on the truth. "My name is Alan Carter."

"What?"

"I’m your nephew." He held up his hand to stop Preston from saying anything. "I’m from the future. My wife and I were testing a new guidance system for a space ship when we encountered a space phenomena that sent us back in time. We were in orbit around the Moon and I knew we needed to get out of the sky for the time being. Since I knew my parents were in Florida with me and my little sister, I knew we could lay low here for a while."

"She’s your wife?" Preston asked skeptically. Somehow he found that as hard to believe as the rest of the outrageous story.

She slipped up next to Alan and put her hand in his. "We’ve been married for three years. We have a little boy who is a year old. His name is Preston."

"Emma’s also my design partner, and was my apprentice before that," Alan said.

Preston shook his head. This was hard to take in.

Desiree said, "Aren’t you supposed to ask him who won the World Series or something?"

"Honey, that won’t help us now, the World Series isn’t until October." Preston said absently but gently. She was right, there had to be some way for them to prove what they said.

"Where’s your space ship?" he asked.

"Well hidden," Alan said reluctantly. "I’d rather not go near it."

Emma said quietly. "We know what Neil Armstrong will say tomorrow when he steps on the moon tomorrow night."

Alan smiled and lifted her hand to his lips. "You’re right, love."

"Ok, what does he say?"

"One small step for man, a giant leap for mankind."

Desiree frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"He got it wrong. He was supposed to say ‘for a man’," Emma added.

"When was the last time you were home?" Preston asked, knowing he wouldn’t have to specify where home was if Alan were who he said he was.

"Christmas, 1998," Alan said without hesitation.

"Was Dad still singing that same song while he grilled Christmas dinner?"

Alan grinned, "The one about the hooker and the pingpong balls? Actually that year he had you singing it. He’d had a stroke the winter before and wasn’t up to it." Alan broke into song:

Preston joined in on the last line and both laughed.

"Well, Desiree—I don’t know if he’s my nephew or not, but he’s definitely a member of the family somehow."

Alan paled and gripped Emma’s hand harder. "Oh my god. You knew! You had to." Emma put her hand on Alan’s shoulder, she could see he was upset. He looked at Desiree, "I hadn’t planned to come home. You called me on the moon and told me I had to go home. You practically threatened me—said you’d call my superiors and ask for mercy leave if I didn’t make arrangements myself. You said I’d always regret it if I didn’t."

"I did?" Desiree asked in surprise.

"Yeah. At the time I thought it was because you didn’t think Granddad would live much longer. But obviously—"

Emma cut in. "Obviously they knew some things you didn’t then. But that’s all a long story, and I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m starving. Can we talk about this over dinner? Or don’t people ever eat on Earth?"

"Of course, honey," Desiree said. "Preston, give me the keys to the car and we’ll go get some groceries."

"The keys to the car?" Preston echoed, hesitating.

Alan grinned. The Preston he remembered was overprotective in the extreme of his cars. And he always had a hot car to drive, no matter what old pickups or other junkers were used on the ranch. He wondered what Preston was driving now. "Why don’t we all go. Emma and I’ll go get dressed."

Preston nodded, looking relieved that he wouldn’t have to give up his keys.

"What should I wear?" Emma asked.

"Oh I’m sure Beth has something you can put on," Desiree said. "Let’s go take a look." She steered Emma back toward the bedroom and glanced back at Alan. "We’ll bring you a shirt and shoes in a minute."

Emma and Deana or Desiree seemed to hit it off immediately. He could hear Emma asking her what kind of material the robe was made of and the two were talking the common language of clothes. Alan figured that it wouldn’t be long before they were comparing men, and he’d rather not listen. He turned to Preston. "What are you driving?"

"A ’66 Mustang convertible," Preston motioned toward the door and the men headed out to look at it. They both knew it might take the women some time before they returned. The fell into small talk about the car, what kind of miles it had on it, the engine, and how Preston had purchased it from another student whose father was buying him the latest model for his senior year. It was a bright red with white interior and top. Alan was itching to drive it himself, but made no mention of the fact.

In less than fifteen minutes Desiree and Emma emerged and handed him a pair of slip on canvas shoes and a button down shirt with various orange and lime green geometric shapes. Emma was wearing a simple sheath dress of lime green. It was quite short and sleeveless and she looked fantastic. They had even found a scarf to tie up her hair with the same green and orange as his shirt.

"You look great."

"Thank you," she said leaning over to brush her lips against his.

Alan turned to Preston. "There’s one thing. It’s none of my business what kind of recreational drugs you use. But I want to make sure there’s nothing in the car that could get us busted if we’re stopped by the police."

"Drugs?" Preston tried his best to look innocent, but the man in front of him looked so much like his dad that he doubted the expression worked.

"The pot," Alan responded in a tone that brooked no argument. "Personally, I don’t care whether you two lose some brain cells by getting stoned regularly, but the stuff is still illegal and if we get stopped by cops we all end up in jail. Emma and I have no identification, no resources, no allies, and no way of getting ourselves out of trouble. I can’t allow that to happen.

Preston and Desiree exchanged a guilty look. Desiree spoke up. "I smoked the last joint on the way here. Honest."

Alan looked both of them over. "Is someone else supposed to bring it for the party tomorrow?"

Preston’s eyes went wide. "How did you—"

Alan smiled. "I live on another planet, but I wasn’t born there. Why else would you show up at your brother’s house while he’s away? Look, call your friend and make sure there’s no pot. I don’t mind the beer. Hell, I’ll buy that for you, you’re not twenty-one yet are you?" Preston shook his head. "Well, they won’t card me. But I can’t risk having pot here, and you won’t be able to get the smell out of the house anyway. My mum would know what happened in a heartbeat. Use me as an excuse if you want with your friends—I’ll impersonate your dad and you can tell them I showed up unexpectedly.

Preston nodded thoughtfully. "You’ll buy the beer?"

"As long as you’ve got the money," Alan replied with a grin.

Preston put out his hand. "All right, man. Deal. No pot. I’ll make a couple of calls when we get back."

Alan gave him an answering grin and shook the offered hand. Then he helped Emma into the back seat of the car. This time Emma had a million questions and no reason to keep silent. Most were about the car, how the engine was made, why it was designed the way it was, how fast could it go on these wonderfully smooth roads. She asked about the houses and if Preston and Desiree lived some place similar, Desiree laughed at the last question and took a go at trying to describe life in a college dorm, then she had to describe college, which surprised her. She asked Emma about her schooling and wasn’t sure she believed her when Emma told her that she hadn’t been in school since she was twelve. Since then she had spent her time working with Alan and studying what he felt she needed to learn.

When they pulled in to the Piggly Wiggly and got out of the car Preston pulled out this wallet and handed Alan a twenty dollar bill. "We’ll take care of getting food for the weekend. You get the beer and whatever else you want."

Alan nodded and was about to stuff the bill in his pocket when he noticed Emma’s curious gaze. He handed the bill over to her with a smile and let her examine it.

Preston watched her. "You’ve never seen money before?"

"My father has one of these. I saw it once when I was little. How do we use it?"

Alan took the bill back from her and did his best to give her a crash course on spending money. "You pick out what you want. Everything will have a price on it. They’ll add it up and we hand them the bill. You can’t buy more than the amount of money you have."

Emma nodded thoughtfully, eyeing the signs that all but blocked the windows to the stores proclaiming items and listing prices in large letters.

"How does pan fried steak sound for supper?" Preston asked.

"Fantastic. I haven’t had a steak in decades," Alan replied, his mouth watering already. "How about ice cream for desert?"

"Pick out what you want," Preston said. He joined Desiree and they headed into the store.

Alan and Emma followed. As they entered Alan pulled a cart out of the line up. It consisted of a rectangular wire basket on wheels with a handle at the back. Emma followed and watched, taking in all the busy people standing in line at counters while young women checked each item and entered a number in some kind of mechanical keyboard system. The items were then placed in brown paper bags and placed back in the cart by teenage boys just a little younger than her brother Richard. Everyone seemed to be moving quickly and no one was paying any attention to her and Alan. She began to notice that there were mostly women in the store and a few men in white shirts, dark slacks and ties. Few appeared to speak to each other. All were concentrating on making their selections.

She also noticed that Alan appeared to know the layout of the store. He steered their cart down the main front aisle, making only cursory glances at the contents of each side aisle. He moved across the store until he came to a row of brightly-lit cases that were different from the other shelving they had passed. They turned and walked slowly by the cases. The first items were bright orange and wrapped in some kind of plastic. He stopped and selected one.

"Is that ice cream?" she asked quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear.

"No, it’s cheese. I haven’t had cheese in a long time either. We’ll get the ice cream soon. You’ll love it."

Emma nodded and amused herself by reading labels. They passed more cheese, some orange, some almost white, with all sorts of different names like Gouda, Edam, Cheddar, and Monterey Jack. Then they passed various small boxes of butter, with all sorts of different labels and pictures on it. Then they came to a large section of plastic bottles with white liquid. The label read ‘milk’. She stopped and stared, certain that there must be some meaning here that she had missed.

"Let’s get a half gallon of milk, too." Alan added a cardboard container to the cart.

"Milk? Like what babies drink?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," he said at first. Emma’s eyes widened. "Well, no. Not exactly," he corrected himself realizing that the only milk she had ever encountered was breast milk. He leaned closer and spoke quietly so the other people nearby wouldn’t overhear. "It’s cow’s milk. It’s the same thing, it just comes from a cow, like the animals in the trailer of that old guy’s truck this morning."

Emma wrinkled her nose. "What do you do with it?"

"You drink it, of course."

"Oh, Alan. How disgusting."

"Not really. Everyone drinks it. It’s good for you."

"Nothing could possibly be that good for you. You aren’t really going to buy some."

"Yeah, I am." He wondered what her reaction to the steak would be tonight, and decided it might be a good idea to get some rice or potatoes that she would be more familiar with. He decided not to explain ice cream to her either.

Next on the aisle was the cold beer. He put eight six-packs of Coors in the cart. Two young men in white shirts and ties were also filling up a cart with beer. One of them grinned at them. "You having a moon-walk party too?"

Alan grinned back. "Of course, isn’t everyone."

"We were afraid they’d be sold out by now. We couldn’t get off work any earlier."

Alan nodded. "Oh I’m sure there will be enough to go around."

He turned to Emma. "Let’s go to the frozen foods section and get some lemonade for you."

She nodded. "Sounds better than milk or beer."

"We’ll get you some rice too."

Alan awoke the next morning to smells and sounds he hadn’t experienced in years. The first thing to enter his consciousness as he drifted awake was the odor of bacon frying. He lay still and enjoyed the sensation as the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee mingled with the bacon. The sound of a small two-stroke engine revving told him that Preston was mowing the lawn early to avoid the heat as he’d mentioned the night before.

Alan smiled and stretched, feeling more at home here than he thought he would. The sound of the mower overpowered the sound of the door to the den opening, so his first indication that Emma had entered the room was when she settled into a sitting position against his side on the air mattress. The smell of coffee was stronger. She must have brought a cup with her. Without opening his eyes he placed his hand on her bare thigh, the sensation of her smooth skin under his hand adding another dimension to the wonderful sensations around him.

It was the most perfect moment in his life. He wished it could last forever; the smells of home, the sounds of the lawn mower outside in the hot July sun, his beautiful, beloved wife beside him. "I love you, Emma." He wanted the words to be a part of this perfect moment.

She put her hand on his bare chest, running her fingers through the abundant hair there. "I love you, too, Alan," she said softly, picking up his mood. "This stuff they call coffee is pretty good."

Alan smiled. He didn’t think Emma would admit to liking anything here. He knew how scared she was here, and wished he could show her more of the Earth than suburban Houston.

"The steak tasted pretty good too, but you had to chew it an awful lot."

"That was terrific steak. You’re just not used to meat. It has a completely different consistency."

"Sure does. Desiree said to tell you we’re going to eat as soon as Preston’s done. She’s made up some kind of gooey stuff using milk and eggs and dipping that Wonder Bread in it."

"French toast. Deeana makes the best."

"She asked if I wanted to go shopping with her after breakfast. To someplace called the Galleria."

He opened his eyes and looked at her with a smile. "Why don’t you? You might enjoy it. Dinah would never forgive you if you didn’t take an opportunity like that."

She smiled back. "Do you think it would be ok?"

"I don’t have more than a couple of dollars left from that twenty that Preston gave me, but there’s no harm in looking. Go have a good time."

"Without you?" Emma said hesitantly.

"You’ll be fine."

"What if somebody asks me who I am or where I’m from?"

"Probably no one will. There’s lots of people here. They don’t know everyone, and don’t expect to. If someone asks your name, tell them only if you want to. If they want to know where you’re from, tell them you’re visiting from California. But you don’t have to tell anyone anything if you don’t want to."

Emma digested that thought for a moment. "This is all so strange, Alan. It’s like playing a game without knowing the rules."

Alan sat up and kissed her cheek. "You’ll figure it out, love. And we’ll be home before you know it. I’ll hook my slate in to the Eagle’s computer and get started on looking for the way home."

That brought a smile to her face. Alan took the coffee mug from her and drained it. "Hey, that was mine!"

"Good isn’t it?" Alan said with a grin.

She batted at him playfully, and he pulled her over top of him and tickled her. She giggled and struggled, but not very hard. Emma’s proximity and her wiggling changed his priority about breakfast and he rolled over with her, hands moving down her body, lips covering hers. Her giggles ceased and her arms wrapped around him. Perfect moments came in many varieties, some pensive, some much more physical.

Breakfast was fantastic, even Emma had to admit that, despite the fact that Dee had used milk to make the french toast and Emma still felt funny about the stuff. Alan volunteered to clean up so the girls could go shopping. Preston headed back outside finish trimming the grass, stopping to kiss Desiree before he left and slipping something into her hand. Alan had suggested that the girls take the Buick Station Wagon shopping, something Preston quickly seconded.

Desiree backed out of the driveway and headed out of the subdivision. Emma watched carefully how Desiree manipulated the car. It didn’t look too different from the trucks on Loki. Piloting wouldn’t be a problem, but navigating would. The grid of streets were like a maze, and the motion of so many other cars on the road was distracting. She hoped that Desiree knew the way back.

"You and Alan seem to be very happy together."

Emma smiled. "We are."

"Preston is so sweet. I guess it must run in his family."

"He’s told me a lot about his Uncle Preston, when we were trying out names for our son, it was his first choice, and he campaigned quite hard for it. Preston was very important to him when he was growing up. Always had more time for him than his father did. A lot of the things Alan taught me and my brothers when we were growing up he learned from Preston; rock climbing, camping skills. Preston even encouraged him to become a pilot when his father wanted him to join his engineering firm."

Desiree sighed. "Sounds like Preston is going to turn out ok. I’m glad to hear that. He’s been pretty messed up. Too bad I’m going to have to dump him next semester."

"Why’s that?" Emma asked, puzzled. Alan had told her last night that this was Preston’s future wife.

"Well, I’m a scholarship student, see?"

Emma shook her head. That made no sense to her.

"My parents—my mom, couldn’t afford to send me to school. Dad drinks for a living. Mom waits tables. I’m not dumb or anything, I got good marks in school, and when I won a science project fair my first year in high school, they began putting me in these special classes. I learned math and science as fast as they could give it to me, then they offered me a scholarship to college if I would just declare a major in the mathematics or science area. Well, I figured that was my ticket out of the tiny little East Texas town I’m from, and if I could find me a rich Aggie husband, I’d be set for life."

A traffic light ahead changed from green to yellow and Dee put her foot on the gas to make it through before it turned red. Once through the intersection she continued, "When I spotted Preston driving that hot red Mustang last fall, I latched onto him pretty quick. We’ve had a great time, gone to a lot of parties together, and he’s incredibly good in bed—" she winked at Emma, "I take it that runs in the family too."

"Seems to," Emma commented. It was one of the few things about Dee’s explanation Emma understood.

"But he bought the car second hand, and is about to flunk out. It just isn’t working out the way I intended, so I’ll break up with him and try again next semester. I still have two more years to go, since I just started my sophmore year. Been going to summer school to keep from having to go home."

Emma was still puzzled. "Why wouldn’t you want to go home?"

"They’d want me to get a job, probably in the local truck stop waiting tables, and turning tricks until some trucker married me and took me back to his trailer to live. Daddy would be taking my tip money for beer and beating me up if I didn’t make enough for him like he does with Mama."

All Emma could do was look at her with wide eyes. It sounded like something out of a movie. She knew there had been a couple of cases of abusive spouses on Alpha, but Dr. Bob and the medical staff did everything they could to prevent it.

"Alan doesn’t ever hit you does he?"

"Of course not!"

"Well that’s another point in Preston’s favor," Dee said regretfully. "Abuse runs in families, you know. I’ve read about it."

Emma wondered if she should tell Dee that she was going to marry Preston. They were in an area of town with tall buildings now, buildings that could easily house all of Alpha’s personnel with room to spare. Dee turned the Buick into the building and steered the car into a parking place. She led Emma into the building and the conversation turned to other matters.

It was late that afternoon before the Buick pulled back into the Carter’s driveway. Alan and Preston had lit the grill and a platter of meat, and skewers of vegetables sat on the table on the patio. Emma practically bounced out of the station wagon. "Alan! Wait’ll I tell you what I saw!"

Alan handed the spatula to Preston as Emma bounded into his arms. "We went to this place—it was a HUGE building. Everyone on Alpha and C-2 and Loki could live there with plenty of room. And they had all these places, with all kinds of things to sell, more stuff that you could imagine! More stuff than you can figure out what it is! But oh, Alan, the building was so beautiful. There was all this open space, with each floor looking down on the last, and at the bottom! Oh, at the bottom there was a skating rink, with real ice. And I’ll bet the place would be big enough for a football field down there. Alex and Josh

would just go crazy! Do you think we could download plans for something like that somewhere? Of course, we’d have the problem of finding the right materials, and also keeping the environment constant despite the extremes of either Loki or Alpha. Differences in external pressure might effect…"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Princess." Alan waved his hand in front of her, willing her eyes to focus as she settled into a kind of engineering trance that he knew could leave her obsessed with designing and oblivious to everything else. "I take it you had a good time."

"I’ve never quite seen anyone go on about a building like that before," Desiree joined them with a couple of bags. "Are you going to show him what you got?"

"Oh, yes." Emma took the bag from her. "I brought you something."

"Me?" Alan asked. He knew Preston had sent along some money and had expected her to bring back a new outfit. Preston had told him that Desiree was a thrifty shopper, but the Galleria was pricey.

"Look! A new pair of real Levi’s!" She pulled the dark blue jeans out of the bag. "Look how thick and dark they are. They’ll last about a million years."

Alan had to laugh. "That’s great love, mine are a little ragged. What did you get for yourself?"

Desiree tugged at her arm. "We’ll show you. Come on, Em."

The two girls laughed and headed into the house. Desiree called back to Preston, "When are the others getting here?"

"Well, when the rumor got out that my, uh, father was here," Preston hooked his thumb at Alan. "Most everyone decided to go to Robbie’s. His parents are out of town. Um," he added. "Would you rather go over there?"

"Of course not! We’re having a great time. It’s their loss. Come on, Em." Desiree tugged Emma’s arm and they disappeared into the house.

Alan grinned and put the steaks on the grill. He was watching the meat when the back door slammed and the girls returned.

Preston gave a low whistle. "Now that’s a well filled pair of Levis."

"Oh yeah!" Alan had to agree. Emma was wearing a pair of low slung jeans with flared legs that hid all but her bare toes. She also wore a black crocheted halter-top that accented her pale skin and dark hair, and provided a view of slim stomach and beautiful bare shoulders. The Levi’s clung tightly to thighs and hips.

"Do you like it? I’ve got my own Levis now!"

"You look fantastic, Princess," Alan said, stepping forward to put his arms around her.

"We stopped at a store on the way home and I got a skirt and a lace blouse too. Alan, there’s so much stuff here! It’s unbelievable."

Desiree joined them with a tray and they set out plates on the picnic table outside. "What I find unbelievable is they way you folks live. Travelling between three planets, with such a small population, and having to make everything you need. No wonder Emma is so excited about even a second-hand clothing store."

"So, if you’re going, what are you planning to take back to the future?" Preston asked in all seriousness.

Alan and Emma both laughed. Alan turned to the grill and removed the steaks and kebobs. "Great movie, but the third was the best."

"What?" Preston asked, confused.

"Sorry mate," Alan said, placing the food in the middle of the table. "I just want to get the two of us back in one piece."

"And your new Levis," Emma added.

Alan winked at her and patted her knee as he sat beside her. "Both pair."

Desiree lit a candle which she explained to Emma was to keep bugs away and they began to eat. There was a rustle in a small tree next to them that was providing some shade as the sun set. A small grey animal crawled out of the leaves and clung to the trunk of the tree, watching them.

Emma turned her attention from the meat to the animal. "Is that a cat?"

"That’s a squirrel," Desiree explained, waving her hand at it. "Shoo! Get out of here."

"The squirrels around here are pretty aggressive. I think Beth feeds them."

"She was always pretty tender-hearted with animals," Alan said.

"You used to be scared of squirrels when you were little. Remember?" Preston said.

"Oh really?" Emma said.

"Well, I never was much of an animal person."

"Do they bite?" Emma asked.

"They can. And they have sharp claws. Preston is right. Mom used to feed them, and they’d run right up to you and crawl up your back. It wasn’t pleasant."

"Can we eat inside?"

"We’ll be fine, Em."

"Seriously," Preston tried again. "What are you going to take back with you to help out?"

"I wouldn’t think there was much here that we need," Emma said.

"We could take back some beer and have a hell of a party," Alan said with a grin.

"Or some of that stuff Dee gave me today. Hersheys?" Emma asked for confirmation.

Alan laughed. "Your mother missed chocolate more than anything else from Earth I think."

"Is there someplace we could download plans for buildings like those downtown?" Emma asked.

"Download?" Preston asked, puzzled.

"They don’t have electronic databases here, honey," Alan reminded her. "Besides, it’ll be decades, maybe centuries before we have the resources to do something like that."

"Seems to me you need to concentrate on more immediate needs," Desiree said.

Preston nodded. "Renewable resources, maybe farm supplies. Seeds, even some breeding stock."

"Wait a minute, I’m not turning my ship into some kind of cattle car."

"Well, cattle may not be ideal. From the way you describe this planet, you’ll have to have things you can keep inside. Chickens maybe, or goats."

"Goats are very useful," Desiree agreed. "And very easy to keep."

"Besides, Emma, you mentioned your mum was concerned about the small population. Well, your small stock of seeds will have the same effect on your food supply. Extra seeds—even of species you already have, will assure diversity, and keep the plants healthier," Preston said earnestly.

Desiree turned to him looking impressed. "Well, that’s quite a statement from an engineering major. I didn’t think you knew anything about growing things."

"It’s just common knowledge," Preston shrugged. "Stuff I learned at home on the ranch."

"Well, my brother Alex would probably understand better than I do. He’s the biologist in the family. I wouldn’t even know where to begin." Emma smiled and nudged her husband. "And Alan here would most helpfully bring back the beer."

"Well then, how about letting Desiree and I make up a list and see what we can do."

"Knock yourselves out," Alan said, concentrating more on his steak. "Just remember that we don’t have any cash, and I’m not going to knock over a bank to get the stuff."

"We’ll figure something out." Preston said.

Later that evening, they had cleaned up and settled in the living room to watch the coverage of the moon landing. Emma curled up on the couch with Alan and watched the grainy pictures of gray terrain and deep black sky and the corner of the lunar lander. A small wired box next to the barcalounger where Preston and Desiree sat together began to make a loud ringing noise, startling Emma. Preston picked up a hand set, putting one side to his ear and the other to his mouth. "Hello?"

"Hey Bob. Watching the moon landing?"

Alan looked up sharply. Preston put his hand over the section by his mouth. "Get on the other line," he said quietly to Alan, and nodded to the kitchen.

Alan stood and headed for the kitchen. Emma followed. Alan picked up the other phone. He kept his hand on the mouthpiece, but held the phone so they could both hear the tiny speaker. Emma put her ear close.

"Where’s the party?" She heard a voice that sounded much like Alan’s.

"Party?" Preston’s tone was innocent. "Oh, there’s a party at Robbie’s tonight. We’ve been so fascinated by the TV, Des and I had about decided not to go."

"That doesn’t sound like my little brother. You know, I was expecting to hear that the party was at my house."

"Which, I suppose, is why you’re calling."

"Preston, I live in a quiet neighborhood. I don’t want any trouble."

"And you won’t have any. This is the new Preston. I’m devoted to staying out of trouble."

"Yeah, right."

"I promise. I even mowed the grass. You know, you don’t take very good care of your yard, mate. Those bushes in the back haven’t been watered in months."

"Well, I never had the green thumb you do."

"Hey, Bob, put Beth on the phone."

"Beth?"

"I just want to say hello."

They heard Bob say "he wants to speak to you, love. I don’t know what he’s up to…"

Alan closed his eyes and leaned against the kitchen counter, his arm tightly around Emma. He kept a tight grip on the mouthpiece, his knuckles going white.

"Preston? Just what are you doing? Have you broken something?" Alan felt a tear slip out of his eye as he heard his mother’s voice again.

"Honest, Beth. I’m being good. Put in a good word for me, will you?"

"I don’t think Bob is in any kind of mood to deal with more foolishness from you, Preston. Don’t you have finals next week?"

"Monday and Tuesday. I’m going to pass all three."

"Well, it’s about time."

A child’s voice could be heard. "You’ve done it now, Pres. Your nephew wants to talk to you. Remember, he looks up to you. Don’t let him learn any bad habits from you."

"Unka Pres?" A child’s high voice could be heard.

"Hey, Cobber. How you been?"

"I saw a rocket! It’s going to the moon. I want to go to the moon too!"

"Well, you be good for your mum, cobber and someday you will."

"Pres?" Bob’s voice was on the line again. "We’ll be home in a couple of weeks. If you’re planning to stay with us, you stay clean, understand?"

"Loud and clear, big brother. I’m on the wagon."

"You’d better stay there."

"I’ve been thinking about a lot of things this term, Bob. Really."

"Well, we’ll talk about it when I get home."

"Sure thing, mate. Enjoy your vacation."

"Right. Pass your exams!" There was a click and the connection went dead.

Alan returned the speaker on the phone to it’s cradle on the wall and pulled Emma into a tight hug. Into her ear he said softly. "I never expected to hear their voices again." His tears wet the side of her neck and she held him close.

"You must have been an adorable child," she said softly.

Preston joined them in the kitchen. "He was a little hellion who had to be watched all the time. Turn your back for a minute and he disassembled the stove, or the phone, or the TV—then would give you an angelic smile and say he wanted to see how it worked."

Emma had to laugh. "Sounds like someone else we know."

"Which is why your dad and I worked so hard to keep you busy with things you were allowed to take apart," Alan said in a broken voice, pulling back only a little and placing his forehead against hers. His eyes were still closed. "Thank you, Preston. That meant a lot."

"No problem, cobber." Preston looked a bit uncomfortable at Alan’s tears.

Alan kissed Emma’s cheek and said softly into her ear. "I need to be alone for a while, all right love?"

"Sure, Alan."

With another kiss, Alan slipped from the kitchen and down the hall. The door to the den closed firmly.

"I thought he’d enjoy that."

Preston looked so young, despite the fact that he and Emma were exactly the same age. It was odd. Sometimes Preston acted much younger than her, then other times, he seemed to have much more experience than she did. "He did, Preston. But he’s been gone from Earth longer than I’ve been alive, and never expected to return."

"Not something I’ve ever imagined."

"Me either," Emma said faintly. "Until now."

They returned to the living room and the television. They switched from channel to channel, listening to various interviews and speculations. Desiree fell asleep around midnight. Emma and Pres continued to watch, both fascinated.

Preston moved to the sofa next to Emma. "I guess this is kind of old hat to you?"

Emma looked puzzled.

"Routine?" he asked.

Emma smiled. "It’s a part of my history. We all had to learn how to use a space suit in case of emergencies. Once we passed the exams, Alan took us on an EVA to Tranquility base. We saw the lander, the flag, the footprints. To think of them coming all that way in such a tiny vehicle—smaller than just our command section on the Eagles."

Preston laid his arm across the back of the sofa and leaned toward her. Emma recognized the signals. It was another moment when she felt much older than him. She had dated enough before she married, and had deflected more passes than she would have liked since her marriage. For some reason, plenty of men didn’t seem to believe that she was perfectly satisfied with her married life. She leaned forward and said softly, "Preston?"

He leaned forward too, in anticipation. "Yes, Emma?"

She smiled at him. He did look very much like Alan, but still with a boy’s slimness, not yet quite mature. "Please don’t do something that would make me regret naming my first-born son after you."

Preston blinked in surprise. "I—"

"I’m very much in love with my husband, despite the age difference. I’m not interested in anyone else."

Preston pulled back. "And I’m a jerk."

"Not necessarily," Emma said gently. "Alan recently reminded me that young men are sometimes impulsive and don’t think things through carefully. Thank you for the compliment though."

Preston sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I think it’s time I made the effort to mature a little bit."

"Perhaps. But find ways to be yourself. I want to thank you in advance for being there for Alan when he was little. You can’t know what an impact that had on him."

"I’m not sure who myself is."

"You’ll figure it out."

Emma’s eyes turned back to the television, and the pictures of her home. Preston slid to the other end of the sofa and picked up the list he’d been working on. Occasionally he would ask her questions about things they had on Alpha or Loki. Frequently she had to tell him that she didn’t know the answers. He was mumbling, "bees, bees…" as Alan walked into the room.

"Bees?" he asked. Emma looked up and beamed at him. He leaned over the couch and kissed her.

"Bees. A lot of things need some sort of help with pollination. You don’t have insects on this planet do you?"

"No, thank goodness," Emma said.

"No. That’s bad. How the heck do you pollinate stuff?"

"By hand, frequently," Alan answered, climbing over the back of the sofa and settling Emma into his arms. "Tony has a devil of a time recruiting people for that. It’s back breaking and tedious in the extreme. He’s even conned me into helping a few times."

Desiree stirred. "You’ve really become fascinated with this, Preston. Have you ever considered an agriculture major?"

Preston frowned. "That’s what my dad wanted me to do. Bob was pushing the engineering. I don’t know what I want, so I just went along." He changed the subject. "So what about a hive of bees? Well, two hives would be better, genetically speaking."

Emma punched Alan in the arm. "It’s happening." She indicated the television.

The television camera showed the ladder. Amid beeps and crackles the astronaut’s voice could be heard. "The hatch is coming open"

There was a beep and another voice said. "Neil, you’re lined up nicely. Toward me a little bit. O.K. down.

The four watched in fascination and gave a collective sigh as Armstrong made his famous statement. Emma noticed both Desiree and Preston glance in their direction. The two had been more than gracious to them, on faith alone. Now they had a bit more proof and their visitors from the future seemed more real. The astronaut chatter continued, and that seemed more real to them for a while than a discussion of bees on Alpha.

Emma woke the next day around mid-day. Alan was sitting at the desk with his slate in front of him. She noted the look on his face. "What’s wrong?"

He turned to look at her. "That’s not a stable space warp."

She sat up, alarmed. "Will we be able to get home?"

"I think so. If I’m right, it’s moving. But moving very slowly. If we leave by Wednesday, I think we’ll be ok, but it’s going to be a hell of a ride. How about checking my figures for me?"

"After a cup of coffee?"

"Deal."

They headed for the kitchen together. Alan fixed the coffee the shiny metal coffeepot and they sat at the table together enjoying the quiet, and the coffee. Emma brought the slate to the table and began to work through the information that Alan had already looked at. Preston joined them, poured himself a cup of coffee and eyed the slate. "What’s that?"

"A communications device and part of our computer system."

"I’m going to get me one of them! When do they get invented?"

"Not until after we leave, I’m afraid," Alan explained.

Preston and Alan continued to talk about Preston’s list of items to take back with them. Emma tuned them out as she concentrated on the data the slate was providing. Alan’s idea of a ‘hell of a ride’ looked like a ride through hell. Even with the gravity compensators, she wasn’t sure they would survive the trip. She spent the afternoon simulating various scenarios while Alan, Preston and Desiree talked about both the needs of Alpha and the effects of the Moon’s abrupt departure on Earth.

Late in the afternoon, Preston and Desiree packed up and returned to school. Alan and Preston exchanged hugs with Alan encouraging Preston strongly to pass his exams and find what he wanted from school, not what his family wanted him to do. Preston promised to think about it. He also pressed some money into Alan’s hand with the entreaty, "Take her to New Orleans tomorrow. Let her see a little more of Earth, anyway." Then the pair climbed into the Mustang and headed back to College Station.

Alan took Preston’s advice, not certain whether he should be jealous of Preston’s attention to Emma. He knew that Emma had eyes only for him, and had no doubts there, but had noticed Preston’s eyes on Emma on more than one occasion. Early Monday morning he woke Emma up and they took the Buick, heading east on the newly completed section of Interstate 10. Emma enjoyed the drive. Alone, they could talk about what they were interested in, and Emma could ask whatever questions she wanted, knowing that Alan would understand what she knew about and what she did not. She marveled at the roads, the number of cars, the cultivated fields that went on and on, the refineries and the towns they passed.

New Orleans was like a dream. They roamed through the French Quarter hand in hand. Here, Alan didn’t seem to care who saw them together, and they relaxed in their affection with each other. For dinner they had crawfish and gumbo in a small dark restaurant, and she was captivated by the bars as they opened and the jazz bands began to play. They wandered from place to place, dancing to Dixieland Jazz or shooting a game of pool. Alan was also pleased. In 1969, the tourists didn’t pack Bourbon Street shoulder to shoulder. At midnight they ate beignets and drank café au lait at Café du Monde. Then they strolled along the levee watching the boats and the lights of the city. They found a small hotel on St. Anne Street, near Jackson Square. Their room faced the street and included a balcony. They could hear the sounds of the street and the band from a small place across the street through the louvered doors. In the privacy of their room they danced together and loved each other to the sensuous sounds of a saxaphone.

The next day they drove back to Houston. Emma spent the afternoon and evening cleaning the house. She told Alan she didn’t want her mother-in-law mad at her without even meeting her. That made Alan laugh, and he wondered what his mother would think of his pretty young energetic wife.

The oppressive Texas heat caused droplets of sweat to drizzle down Emma’s face and neck to be absorbed by her white lace blouse as she sat scrunched between Alan and Preston in the cab of the truck. The AM station Preston and Alan had settled on had just played Sly and the Family Something "Dance to the Music" and were currently playing Janis Joplin's "Summer Time", which Emma enjoyed for it's relationship to their present situation. They were headed west on Highway 60 toward Richmond on what Preston called a "supply run" for things to take back to Alpha. The road was a rough two-lane passing through mile after mile of cultivated fields. Emma had never considered trying to take anything back with them. She was a pilot, and there was nothing from this archaic time in space flight history she considered worth the trouble. But supplies for the future of Alpha/Loki were another matter.

The sun had barely come up on Wednesday morning when Preston pounded on the door of the den, waking them up. They had packed quickly and were soon in the borrowed truck. Preston had again refined the list, using the discussion from Sunday afternoon to limit payload size. Alan had explained that the amount of stuff originally on the list would require a fleet of Eagles. They didn’t have that much room, and the more weight they added, the less fuel they would have to make it through the wormhole safely.

During his exams Preston asked around for places to find agricultural supplies, and a classmate from the Houston area told him about the "best little feed store in Texas" in his hometown of Richmond. "And not far from La Grange, either!" Alan said with a smirk. Emma understood Alan’s reference to one of his favorite Earth rock and roll groups called ZZ Top. They were from Texas and Alan had all of their CDs back home, but it took another 10 minutes to explain it to Preston. Finally they got on their way.

"Preston?" Alan asked as he cruised down the road at sixty miles per hour, more or less, according to the jiggly speedometer on the dashboard. "Explain to me again how you got this truck." Alan never took his eyes off the road as he drove and spoke, but Emma imagined a glare between the two. Preston had driven up to Alan’s family’s house this morning with the flatbed pickup truck and four hundred and fifty dollars for their supplies saying only that it came from a friend of a friend.

"I told you, Alan, a buddy loaned it to me. He owed me a favor, and I called it in. I told him my Uncle needed to use a truck. I may have given him the impression that it had something to do with a shipment of grass." Preston stifled a laugh, and wiped sweat from his face with a work rag and tossed it onto the dash of the truck.

"What about the money?" Alan asked acidly. "Who do we owe a favor to for that? We can't afford trouble here. We've no ID, and no way of asking for help."

Preston looked hurt, and angry at the same time.

"You came to me with all this!" Preston opened his arms dramatically, brushing Emma’s breast with his elbow. "You convinced me this was all legit and I’m trying to help. As it happens, that money was everything I had left in my savings account from Dad. I mean my dad---your grandfather. When this is all over, I’ll probably have to drop out of school and go home to the ranch." He folded his arms and stared out the window to the north, watching vultures circle in the distance and telephone poles zipping by nearer the roadway.

"Preston, I…" Alan didn’t know what to say, but never go the chance to try.

"You’re just like your father, you know." Preston said suddenly, interrupting Alan. "Your way is the right way and everybody else is just ‘in the way’. Your dad is like that. There’s nothing I can do or have ever done that can please him." Preston was on a roll now, and didn’t need response from Alan.

"God knows I’ve tried to please him. I’ve looked up to him for years. He’s the respected Aussie scientist and engineer telling the Yanks how their space program can be better that it is. I try to be as good as him, but my marks at University just don’t cut it. The only thing I’m really good at is partying, and I know I can’t make a life out of that. I’ve seen too many of my friends do it---drop a little acid, do a little pot, and end up on the street." Emma wanted to ask why they would spill chemicals intentionally and what his interest in ceramics was because she knew ceramics were useful in spacecraft, but Preston didn’t give her the chance. "I can’t even help a friend," he looked sadly at Alan and Emma, "without screwing up. Let’s just get through this, so you can go home."

Emma didn’t say anything, because she felt this was between Alan and Preston, but Preston impressed her with his sincerity. She also noticed his saying they were trying to go "home", and she wondered how Alan felt about it. Emma didn’t think she could stand to never see her family and friends again. And what would she do here? There was only this antiquated, male-dominated, shell of a space program, which meant she’d never fly again. She felt that if it were necessary she could stay here as long as she had Alan, but barring accidents and all the illnesses Earth has, she would outlive him here by forty years---forty years alone on what for her amounted to an alien planet.

She didn't have time to muse further, because Alan reached between her knees and pulled the long-handled gear shift lever down and toward her in what she already learned was called a downshift. The flatbed lurched violently as the lower gear took effect, and Emma looked for handholds while Alan looked at her and smiled.

"Just like ridin' a bicycle, Darlin'" He said sweetly.

"I've never done that, either." Emma replied with a sarcastic grimace. "When that happens in an Eagle, it's usually followed by loud rending of metal, screams of the dying, and a very final airless silence."

"We're almost there, according to the directions," Preston said interrupting the pair's verbal play.

"Almost there?" Emma questioned. "I can see what looks like a town quite a way ahead." She looked down the road, trying to discern the outline of the town through the shimmering waves of heat rising from the road.

"It says that the feed store is before you get to town. Ah! That must be it there." Preston said, pointing to the low building ahead of them on the right.

Alan slowed the truck further, and turned off the road and into the large open area in front of the brown structure. Small rocks were thrown underneath the truck, and made pinging and plunking sounds from beneath their feet. The gravel crunched noisily as Alan slowly came to a halt, and dust rolled into the cab of the truck through both windows, causing Emma to sneeze several times in succession.

The singers on the radio were crooning "Marrakesh Express" which seemed to be about some kind of transportation, but Alan killed the motor of the vehicle, and opened the door ending their serenade. Alan stepped out onto the gravel in the new cowboy boots Preston had supplied him with and surveyed the area as if performing a security sweep the way he had become used to whenever he landed an Eagle in an unknown locale. He extended his hand to Emma, who slid across the seat, and out the door wrapping the ankle length, multicolored skirt she wore around her legs until she essentially fell into Alan's arms. She put her arms around him, feeling his muscular physique through the thin tank top shirt. Gray chest hair bristled out from above the shirt, where she put her face against his slightly sweating chest and gave him a quick hug of thanks and affection.

"I hope I'm that lucky someday." Preston said from in front of the truck, looking at the couple's embrace.

"You will be, Mate. Just be patient. And don’t forget, I get to be ring bearer at the wedding." Alan smiled slyly, and broke from Emma's grip

"Ring bearer? How soon? Who—" Preston stood with his mouth open.

"Won’t be long, Pres." Alan ushered Emma toward the door to the establishment while Preston stood in amazement. Over the doorway a wooden sign read "Tucker's Feed and Supply".

Emma was still amazed at the number of buildings built of plant materials. Wood was not a structural material on Loki, where almost everything they used had to be fabricated from inorganic matter. This building, like others she'd seen here, was entirely made from wood. The front of the store was a wide covered porch, with support posts every three meters, and wooden chairs with curved rails beneath them lined the wall. She looked under one of the chairs where a small mammal with orange-brown with faint dark striped fur lay with its eyes closed, but its tail tip flipped every few seconds.

"A cat?" She asked.

Alan smiled. "Yes, a cat. They're a must on a farm and even more so at a feed store I suspect. They're predators, and help control the pest population."

"I think it would be wise if I did most of the talking." Preston said from behind them.

"You're probably right, Pres. There's too much about farming that neither of us knows." Alan agreed and they opened the screen door and entered the store.

Emma wondered at the odors inside the building that seemed a combination of sweet, musty, dusty, and sour. They had not been in many stores since their arrival, and she found this one quite amazing.

The room they were in measured fifteen by twenty-five meters, and was filled with assorted items; few of which Emma could identify by more than the general type of material of which they were made. She knew she was out of her depth with this and decided to just wander around the store, "shopping" as Alan called it.

"Hey Boys," a sun-weathered old man said to Preston and Alan from behind a long wooden counter. He wore a wide grin exposing deeply stained yellow teeth, and then he leaned over slightly to allow a gooey wad of brown spittle to ooze from his lips. The wad made a metallic pang when it hit an unseen spittoon behind the counter.

"How's it goin'?" He spoke with a slow Texas drawl that was stronger than most of those they encountered in Houston.

"Jess fahn, an you? Alan said in a perfect imitation of the same drawl. Alan decided when it was an older man that he should at least initiate the conversation.

Emma looked up at him from across the store in surprise. She never thought about how people talked. Most all of the original Alphans, and those in her generation simply sounded as they sounded. She had noted a few of the elder Alphans who were raised in languages other than standard English spoke with accents, but in their small community it was never mentioned. Hearing Alan sound so different shocked her.

"Caint complain. Whatcha need taday?"

"Weellll, " Alan said slowly, " the boy here," nodding to Preston, " is startin one a them communes, and needs some supplies. He kin pick his own."

"Ah see he awready picked a good filly, " the good old boy said nodding toward Emma. Alan bristled, but held his silence.

"Yeah." Alan replied and let Preston take over.

Emma smiled at the exchange, and continued looking at the goods the store contained. She reached the clothing section and was awed by the selection. Several racks contained jackets, vests, and heavy pants that only covered part of the body all made from some tough material that exuded a strong odor.

"Chaps." Alan said from behind her as she fondled the material. "Made of leather."

"Leather? You mean animal skins?" She raised her voice high enough to where Alan brought his finger to his lips to reminder her to be more discrete. "I thought that was only in history books about primitive tribal peoples. " She whispered loudly.

"Don't get too in an uproar. This is part of how my family made a living that allowed me to become an astronaut. And be on Alpha, and meet you. So don't give cattle farming a hard time." Alan kissed the top of her head, and moved her away from the leathergoods.

"You'd look 'riot perty' in this, Missy Emm." Alan held up a western-styled blouse with flowers embroidered on both the left and the right of the bodice.

"Very nice, but let’s concentrate on the supplies, hmm." Emma said, causing a look of disappointment on Alan's face. He was right that it was very pretty, but she could never have something like that back on Alpha when others had so little. Plus there really was no where to go in it, since she either was working or taking care of the baby.

Alan and Emma both looked when they heard Preston laughing and slapping his leg at something the old man said, and then the old man laughing at something Preston drawled.

"Preston's a real people person. His talent and his future are both back home in Australia." Alan said softly to Emma. "He takes over my Grandad's ranch, and raises three of my cousins to be farmers, too. I guess everyone has a destiny."

"What's ours, Alan? Will we get home to Alpha?"

"We're going to give it our best shot. Don't worry, Em, we'll make it."

Preston sauntered up to them as they talked; a big smile on his face.

"Nice shirt, Emma. Why don't you get it?"

"We're here for supplies for Alpha, not for ourselves." She replied sternly.

"I think I've got the supplies covered. I bought ten of every pack of vegetable and flower seed they have, and the rest of the stuff we’ll load on the truck. I got a fifty pound bag of everything they had in that quantity, and two twenty stick bundles of cane."

"Cane?" Emma asked as she took the blouse from Alan and held it up.

"Yeah, sugarcane. You get cane juice from it, and cook it down to a syrup." Preston replied.

"Why everything, Pres? Alpha's already got most kinds of vegetables. We've been growing them for years." Alan said.

"Diversity, Nephew." Preston smiled. "You're livin' on borrowed time with your crops if you've been interbreeding them that long. It's the same reason you don't marry your sister, because inherited traits get reinforced more strongly---especially noticeable in the negative traits like inherited disease. You folks need this now." Preston explained patiently. They’d been through this before, but he was finding that pilots didn’t pay much attention to biology. "Maybe God knew that, and that's why you got sent here.

"Anyway, I don't do philosophy, but I'm a pretty good horse-trader. We've got a little less than half the money left, so Emma, you can have that blouse and few other items. Along with a little surprise."

"Surprise? I'm a little leery of surprises." Alan said sarcastically.

"Well, I love surprises!" Emma enthusiastically replied.

"I got you chickens!" Preston said with a huge smile.

"Chickens?!" Alan replied incredulously. "What in blazes are we to do with chickens? How are we going to get them back? "

"Chickens, Preston? How did we get chickens?" Emma held her hand on Alan's shoulder in reassurance and a measure of control.

"They're not chickens, exactly. They're just eggs right now, and an incubator to keep them in. I got five different kinds---a hundred eggs! He offered me a dozen goats, but I remembered what you said about animals not being able make the trip because they can't be secured properly. But you can tie down the incubator and eggs, and as long as you don't crash into something, they should be fine.

" And think of the future! You'll have fresh meat on Alpha for the first time in over twenty years!"

Emma looked unimpressed and got queasy thinking about eating more animals. As long as she didn’t think about where the food came from she was fine, but the thought of food that could look back at her and make noises was more than she could handle at times. Alan just stood thinking about omelets and fried chicken until his mouth filled with saliva.

"It will probably be a couple of years before you dare to eat any of them, or their eggs; but after that, you should be ready for a chicken in every pot." Preston smiled again, and chuckled at his own joke and Alan nodded understanding.

"I guess we can try, Pres." Alan turned to Emma, "Let's pick out some duds, Princess! Then we gotta head fer the hills!" Alan slipped easily into his Texas country voice and Emma smiled and handed him the blouse.

Emma wandered back to the porch when the men headed to load the truck. She sat on the floor of the porch, oblivious of the dust, near the cat and used her very best ‘puffball’ manners. The cat watched her every bit as closely as she watched it, and she held very still, waiting for the cat to make the next move. After a bit, it stood and stretched in a leisurely manner. Then, with its tail ramrod straight it walked over to her and butted her knee with its head. She remained still and the cat moved around her, rubbing close to her. The tip of its tail curled and uncurled as it walked around her and stood in front of her. Her eyes met those of the cat and she found it mesmerizing. She noticed that the eyes were round but the pupils were like slits.

With a bit of a hop, the cat leaped into her lap and settled against her thigh, rolling to expose the white fur on its stomach and batting a front leg in the air. Alan walked past her with a large bag on his shoulder.

"Look, Alan," she said with delight, rubbing the cat’s stomach gently. "He likes me."

Alan grinned. "So he does." He read the question in his wife’s eyes. "Don’t even think it, Emma."

"Alex would love him," she said hopefully.

"Alex will have to love the damn chickens instead," Alan growled as he tossed the bag in the bed of the truck.

Preston brought the next bag out and tossed it on the truck. "I see you made a friend."

"Isn’t he beautiful?"

Preston walked past her and laughed. "Just beautiful, Emma."

The men had the truck filled soon and Emma could hear them in the back of the store. She gathered the cat in her arms and stood, peering into the store. Alan and Preston had their backs to the door. She headed quickly for the truck, climbed into the bed and pushed the large cloth sacks around. She carefully arranged a gap and dropped the cat in. Putting her finger to her lips in the same gesture Alan had just used, she shoved bags of cottonseed back in place, making a cage of the seeds. The cat sat, tail wrapped regally about its legs and stared back at her calmly as she trapped it there. By the time Preston and Alan left the store she was sitting innocently in the cab of the truck.

By sundown they were parked next to the Eagle. Alan had turned down a service road that took them to the back of the complex without going near any of the buildings. Alan was proudly showing off the Eagle to his uncle. As predicted, it had neither been bothered, or even discovered. Emma quickly rescued the cat which was curled up in the cubby she had made for it, and was quite content. She slipped inside the Eagle, opened a cabinet door and arranged spare blankets to make a space for the cat. She peeled off her skirt and added it to the cabinet to make the cat more comfortable, then she put the cat inside and secured the cabinet again. She slipped quickly into a flight suit and was arranging a cargo net by the time the men began carrying the supplies in. The large seed bags were used to create more cushioning for the incubator, then the net was tightened to keep everything from shifting.

Suddenly their time on Earth was over. Emma gave Preston a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Alan gave Preston an envelope. "Mail this for me, will you cobber?"

Alan had worked on it the night before. He had hand written a will, naming his uncle executor and heir of his estate. It was dated September 1, 1999 and sealed inside an envelope addressed to Preston at the family’s ranch. Alan had then put that envelope in another with a letter to his grandfather’s attorney in Sydney, requesting that the envelope addressed to Preston be held in escrow until September 1, 1999 and then hand delivered to Preston Carter at the ranch. Preston could then use it at the appropriate time.

Alan gave his uncle a hug. "I’ll miss you."

Preston tried to joke. "Well, I’m probably going to spend the next month keeping your younger self from taking things apart."

"You might think about going home for a visit. It’s almost spring there. Deeana would probably love to see it."

"Is that a hint?"

"Hey, I’m a two year old here. What do I know about people’s love lives?"

Emma spoke up, "I happen to know that Dee would like to find something to do besides go home."

"Yeah, I expect. She’s told me about her family. Makes mine look like a bunch of saints."

"Not saints, but good people—like you. Thanks for everything, Preston."

"Get home safely," he said, and turned quickly. He walked away wiping his eye with the back of his hand.

Alan left on his Levis and boots, but both felt good to be in the cockpit again. They eased the Eagle from its hiding place, hovered by the truck for a moment and wagged the Eagle once. Their monitor showed Preston waving. They rose higher, then rotated the Eagle and used the main boosters to rise straight up. Alan wanted to be off the planet as fast as possible. Once out of the atmosphere, nothing could catch them.

They headed straight for the space warp. The moon had moved on in its orbit and was not as close this time. They gathered the proper speed, aimed for the proper spot. The autopilot program, almost forgotten, notified them of an approaching anomaly. They exchanged a glance. Alan gave her a thumbs up sign and they dived into hell.

Bright white light filled their brains. They were jerked in every conceivable direction. Emma tried to call for Alan, but she couldn’t make her voice work. She couldn’t feel or see the controls. They began to roll. She was pressed hard into the seat then pushed forward, as if they had been through a braking maneuver.

Her sight returned abruptly and she had to blink to focus. They were rolling and the viewscreen showed the moon’s surface alarmingly close. Alarms were screaming and through it she could hear Alan, "Pull up, Emma—we’re too close. I’ve got the laterals."

Alan would stop the rolling, but she had to avoid the crash. She used everything she could, and was afraid it wasn’t enough. The ground was coming up to meet them. She re-routed fuel and gave the landing rockets another hard burst. They met the ground hard and bounced, hit a second time and slid. They both lost consciousness on the first bounce and all was dark.

When she opened her eyes everything hurt. Even moving her eyes hurt, but the sight in front of her left her with a warm glow. "Daddy," she breathed softly, voice full of wonder, contentment and relief. "We’re home?"

"You’re safe in Medical Center, Princess."

He was holding her hand. That hurt too, but she had no intention of complaining.

"Is Alan all right?" She tried to sit up and realized that was a big mistake.

Her mother was on the other side of her. "He’s fine, and worrying about you. You both have concussions and assorted bruises. You have a broken collarbone too.

"I’m going to be sick—"

Her mother helped her lean over the side of the bed and held a pan for her. When she was done, her mother eased her back onto the bed and wiped her mouth. "That’s the concussion. Now lie still."

"Okay—" she said, trying not to even move her mouth. "I brought Alex a cat. Is he all right?"

Her mother smiled. "She is fine. And very pregnant, not to mention rather temperamental after that crash."

"Alex was on the rescue team. He found the cat in the storage compartment and has the scratches to prove it," her father explained.

"I’ve never seen him happier," her mother added with a smile.

"Where did you get it?" her father asked.

"I stole the cat," Emma admitted. She had to blink to keep her eyes open. She was home, and happy and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. "But Alan’s Uncle Preston brought everything else for us to bring back."

"An impressive assortment. The life sciences people are going crazy. I’ve already asked Tony and Eddie Collins to come up and help decide how best to use it all."

Emma let her father’s voice wash over her. She was so relieved and thankful to be home. She drifted off to sleep, content to be home, away from Earth and the summer of love.

Ellen C. Lindow

Michael W. Lindow

December, 1999