Amy Cross Finality The Complete First Se

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."When someone gets blown out into space," he adds finally, "they don't tend to come back.""What did you do?" I ask cautiously."I had to make a decision," he continues."I could have tried to go after her with the lander, but I wouldn't have got to her in time to save her.At best, I'd have hauled her back to the station so she could die in her bunk, but it would have just been prolonging her pain.I chose to make it quick, and despite a few sleepless nights, I still think I made the right choice.""But -""Please don't try to turn this into an ethical argument," he replies, interrupting me."The past is the past, and I'd do the same thing again.I'd do it to you, and I hope you'd do it to me.There's no point extending anyone's suffering if the worst happens.""Nice to know," I mutter."So I've been here alone for four weeks while I waited for you to show up," he continues."I read the manual on temporary isolation.Hell, I even annotated it.It's hard being alone in a place like this.The entire station is barely thirty meters across, so it's not like I could even go for a walk to clear my head.I spent a lot of time staring out the window, watching the planet below.I even took the lander out once for a completely unnecessary trip to the main storage facility.I told myself it was a routine maintenance check, but really I was just trying to find something to do." He pauses."Fortunately," he adds, "I didn't go crazy.Lucky for you, huh?"I smile politely, but the truth is, I'm still not convinced that this guy is entirely sane.My memory is starting to return, and I distinctly remember being warned before I left that there was a small chance I might arrive and find that this Sutter guy had lost his mind."You're staring at me like you think I'm dangerous," he says after a moment."Just being cautious," I reply."Wise choice," he says with a faint smile."We're the only two people in this entire sector of the galaxy.Even if there was an emergency right now, it'd take four weeks for help to arrive, so like it or not, we're going to have to work together.I don't know if that poses any particular problems for you, but I'd like to encourage you to be up-front about issues as soon as they arrive.To put it another way, we have no choice.We have to get along.""For the good of the project," I reply."They taught you well," he says."I know why I'm here," I say firmly."My job is to serve the human race and ensure that our outward expansion continues.Supreme Command has given me a wonderful education, and I intend to repay them by serving humanity.""You're very obedient, aren't you?" he adds."I try to follow the rules.""Sounds like you're doing a good job," he replies, although it's clear that he's not particularly impressed.I smile, but the truth is, my memories are only coming back very slowly.I'm starting to remember places and sensations, but not people, at least not yet.I have a distinct memory of being at a military training camp somewhere on Mars, but while I remember all the physical tests and simulations, the faces of my fellow cadets are all blurred and indistinct.Still, there's no way I'm going to let this Nick Sutter guy know that I'm struggling.He seems like the kind of person who'd happily take advantage of any weakness, so I need to cover my tracks while I wait for my faculties to return.I don't want to come across as weak or uncertain."I guess you should take a few hours to settle in," he says finally."Take a look around, check out your bunk, get to know the place.I know it's not exactly the largest station in the galaxy, but even these old C-class bases can be a little disorienting when you arrive.When you're ready to get started, come and find me.Shouldn't be too hard.The place is only thirty meters from one end to the other, so it's not as if either of us can get lost." He heads to the door that leads through to a corridor, before glancing back at me."And welcome.It's good to have someone else on-board again.I'm sure we'll get along just fine.""How long did you say you were alone here?" I ask."Four weeks," he replies with a forced smile."But don't worry.I promise didn't go crazy."Once he's headed through to another part of the station, I find myself pausing for a moment, trying to get my thoughts straight.I fully understand that a trip through the void in suspended animation is likely to have messed with my head, but I can't help wondering how much longer it'll take before I get all my memories back.Right now, I feel as if I'm operating with one hand tied behind my back, and it doesn't help that there's something about Nick Sutter than worries me.Then again, I guess my impaired mental state might just be causing a little paranoia.I should just get moving and hope that I can shake my concerns.After all, we're stuck here together, hundreds of light years from any other humans, and there's no way we can work together if we don't at least start to get along.My memory will come back soon.It has to.Until then, I just need to get along with this guy and try not to seem too lost.Chapter FiveSutter"This is Io-5 base commanding officer Nick Sutter," I say, leaning closer to the microphone."I'm calling to confirm the arrival of replacement technician 51106, Crizz Arnold.The subject seems a little dazed, but within normal parameters.I anticipate putting her to work within twenty-four hours.Right now, I'm just working to get her up to speed.Nothing further to report."I reach out to hit the 'Send' button, before pausing.At some point, I have to mention the problem with the surface feed pipe, and even though I really don't want to draw attention to myself, I figure this is my best opportunity [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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