Broken Parole

2110

Liberty City, Florida Territory

“Careful with that Pedro!” Antoine shouted. His crewmate stopped moving and edged his fingers away from live electric wires protruding from the AI Processor embedded in the hood of the Solaris Eclipse he was working on. 

Remembering their training Pedro stepped back to his tool station and retrieved non-conducting gloves. Antoine returned to his station to review his appointment log.

At 15:30 he finished replacing the hydrogen fuel cells on a 2035 Quantum Flux, ancient but still going strong and amazingly still legal.

His final appointment was at 16:00, it was 15:58. 

Running Late? He wondered. 

The cavernous garage hummed with life as small drones entered and exited, dropping off parts, taking away parts and garbage.

Antoine looked again at the time on his computer’s display, 16:02, they were late. 

“Oye, Antoine.” a voice called out to him. 

Two of his crewmates Marcus and Javier were coming towards him, they stopped a couple of feet from his station. 

Javier gestured at Antoine.

“Almost quitting time, mano. Me and Marcus are heading to the Spaceyards to catch a flight to Luna, you coming with us?” asked Javier. 

“Not yet mano, I’ll get a late flight and meet ya’ll there,” Antoine replied.

“You sure? The flights fill up fast.” Javier insisted.

“No, mano, I’ll catch up. Go on without me,” he said.

“All right,” Javier replied.

Javier joined Marcus and they went on their way.

At that moment the massive double doors on the north side of the garage pulled open. A 2100 Novatech Phantom rolled inside, filling the air with its quiet hum as it parked next to Antoine’s station. 

Antoine retrieve his computer pad and approached the driver’s side of the car, reviewing the body exterior as he approached. 

The driver’s side window was rolled down, a woman’s head gingerly popped out to address Antoine.

“Sorry for being late. Traffic was horrendous today and my AI couldn’t handle the flow.” 

Antoine paused, astonished by her soft, smooth, caramel skin, luscious brown eyes and curly black hair that seemed to go on forever. She was gorgeous.

Her door opened and she got out, wearing a pale blue dress with ruffled shoulders and a smart belt on her waist. On her right wrist she wore a golden bangle. She was muscular in her arms and shoulders with the right dash of charm and softness in her eyes and face. 

She smiled at Antoine and then laughed. 

“Are you okay?” she asked. 

Antoine snapped back, realizing he was staring at her while clutching a wrench for dear life. 

He refocused on her vehicle. 

“Sound like AI problems, I’ll run a diagnostic.” he said. 

The woman continued. “Also, I noticed that when I’m in self-driving mode the car drifts 10 degrees to the left every time. I nearly hit five vehicles this week.”

“Let me check,” said Antoine. 

He opened her driver’s side door and the rear driver side passenger door, quietly stooping to pop open a panel on the edge of each door.

“Is it bad?” she asked. 

“Both of your proximity sensors are broken, no wonder you’ve been drifting 10 degrees to the left. I’m surprised it wasn’t worse. 

“Oh, no. Are those expensive to replace?” she asked, her face etched with concern. 

“They used to be but fortunately we got that,” Antoine gestured to the 3d fabricator at his work station.

“Great.”

 “By the way.” Antoine hesitated. 

“What?” she asked. 

“Have we met before? You seem familiar.” 

She smiled again.

 “If I say yes, is that a discount?”

“No. You’d just be helping a brother out.” 

“I see, is that what you say to all of the girls?” She paused to read his name tag. “Antoine Fisher?”

“No, only when I run into a real hot mess.” 

‘Careful, I can be a cold mess too,” she replied playfully. 

Antoine chuckled. “What’s your name?”

“Stella,” she replied.

“Don’t worry Stella, I’ve been to Russia.” 

“You young boys are so confident these days. I need my grandson to have that confidence.”

Antoine couldn’t believe his ears.

“Grandson? How old are you?”

“Now, Antoine. A lady doesn’t tell.” She tutted.

“But you look great. What’s your secret?”

 “Let’s just say the Bryan Johnson Health Center took me from madame to mamselle.”

“Oh… I see… Well, let’s get you back on the road.” 

The Moon

Luna Colony 2

24 hours later…

“Four!” shouted Javier. 

His club struck the ball and sent it soaring 100 feet into the lunar sky. The ball tapped the forcefield and gathered speed on its descent.

Antoine adjusted the zoom factor on his helmet visor. He grimaced as the golf ball struck the ground and rolled easily into the hole.

“Hole in two, hole in two!” Javier shouted excitedly jumping up and down as the tether to the Top Golf building held him back.

Javier stopped jumping and walked towards Antoine with his hand out. 

“That’s three in a row, pay up!”

Antoine shook his head, he should have never made bets with Javier. He paid up and they finished the game, returning to the inside of the resort.

Inside the resort lobby was a cavernous room filled with gold and blue decor from the furniture to the carpets. Near the center of the lobby were food areas to rest and eat. Antoine chuckled as two parents ran to catch up with their toddler who was running and jumping, attempting to catch gravity and fly. Fortunately, the resort’s Centrifugal Mag Grav system would prevent that.

              Then he saw a woman sitting in the food area receiving food and drink from an Android. It was her again, Stella.

“Hey, Antoine, let’s go,” Javier said, trying to move him towards a nearby bar.

“Ya’ll go ahead, I’ll catch up.” he replied. 

Shrugging their shoulders Javier and Marcus went off without him. 

Antoine continued staring at the woman.

He walked towards her, trying to be inconspicuous, but she noticed him quickly, beaming a smile as he approached. 

“Hello, handsome.” she said when he reached her. The android turned around and greeted Antoine. 

“Good day sir, may I offer you a meal or other refreshment?” said the android. 

“Yeah, get me a Modelo, bottle, extra lime,” Antoine replied. 

The Android nodded and left Antoine and Stella alone.

“Are we going stare at each other or are you going to sit?” she said. 

Antoine smiled and went to sit down. 

“Funny seeing you here. I hope you’re not following me,” she said. 

“Can you blame me? You are the most beautiful woman on Earth and Luna, and I can’t help but stare.”

She chuckled. “You’re so corny.”

“They don’t call me Mr. Kernel for nothing.”

“You know, a long time ago a man who was very dear to me said the same thing. He was corny too.” 

“How long ago?” 

“Antoine Fisher, are you trying to guess my age?” 

“We’ve seen each other twice now, clearly that means we gotta share some war stories.”

“Well, I’m Stella Ortega, I was born in Reno, Nevada, spent most of my life there, went to school, dated, made friends, played sports. I went to college then worked in New York at a great job with a popular fashion magazine. I met my husband there; he came into the building to deliver something. We talked and he swept me off my feet. Years later he left, and I moved on. There, there’s my war story.”

“You look so young.”

“Thank you, like I said Madame to Mamselle.” 

Antoine continued asking about her life and talking until his friends called him away. He grabbed his beer from the Android as he left to join them.

After several hours of VR games and catching up on news from Colony 2 on Mars, Antoine said goodnight and returned to his resort room.

Inside of his room he plopped on the bed and stared out the windows. So beautiful. 

 Lunar mountains rose like jagged teeth as dust and rock tumbled and mixed upon pressure from Lunar rovers. Silent and dark with patches of light from the sun and Earth casting shimmering colors upon the dark expanse. 

Just then there was a knock. 

Antoine went and opened the door, it was Stella. 

“Hi. Can I come in?” she said.

Antoine nodded and closed the door behind her.

At first she focused on the ground before raising her gaze to meet his.

“I don’t know what I’m doing here, but I had to come.” 

She went forward and kissed him.

She paused and stepped back. “I’m sorry. There’s something about you.”

Antoine kissed her back and pulled her closer to him. She welcomed his touch.

 Her became harder and focused as she unbuttoned her shirt. Antoine paused to peel off his own shirt. He tried to initiate again, but she paused and stood petrified. 

“What is it?” he asked.

“That tattoo where did you get that?” 

She pointed to the tattoo on his shoulder. A golden eagle embracing the Goddess Venus, a memento from his army days.

Just then Stella pushed her shirt down exposing her shoulder, on her shoulder was a tattoo of the Goddess Venus embracing a golden eagle.

“I got this tattoo more than 80 years ago, and my husband got a matching tattoo, that one.” 

He didn’t understand “But I’m only 32.” 

She began to sob uncontrollably. Antoine tried to reach and comfort her, but she recoiled.

“No. No. I can’t do this. Something isn’t right.” She pulled her shirt back on and gathered her things, heading towards the door. 

“Stella please, I don’t understand.” He pleaded.

She pulled open the door and left. 

30 hours later… 

In the hangar area Antoine and his friends waited for their transport. Holographic News played out on several holographic stations around them. King George VIII just celebrated his Golden Jubilee, The Chinese Federation announced the annexation of Vladivostok, Massive Floods in Sri Lanka.

But then, breaking news.

“Oh my God! What the hell!” shouted Javier. He rose from his chair and walked towards a holo display. 

A massive chyron blasted: Lunar Transport hijacked on route to Earth. UN Marines beat back hijackers. Several passengers injured during the attack, five killed. The Neo-Luddite Group Bright Way had taken responsibility. 

Antoine gasped when video played from the hijacked transport, Stella’s face appeared on screen. Her face bruised and swollen and her arms limp and lifeless as paramedics lifted her onto a medic bed. 

Suddenly loud whistles ruptured the air and Antoine lurched forward to cover his ears. Moments later an automatic voice message surged throughout the hangar area. 

“All Flights to Earth have been canceled until further notice. Please return to your rooms at the resort. Your stays have been extended indefinitely.” 

In moments security personnel clad in black and gray uniforms surged into the hangar area, directing people back into the resort.

“Oh my God! I can’t believe this.” said Javier as several security personnel approached them. 

“This way sir,” a security officer directed. 

They moved to follow their directions.

But suddenly a dark figure darted towards them from behind. Antoine’s adrenaline spiked and he tried to dodge. He failed as a large arm jerked him back and then the narrow point of a needle bit him in the neck. A syringe?

The Lunar Hospital 

10 hours later… 

And then there was light. Antoine woke up and saw he was in a hospital room bed.

Anxiety needled him like a pin cushion, but he couldn’t stay there. He found his shoes in a nearby closet and left the room, slipping past the nurse station. 

Unsure of where to go he meandered down a long hallway of white and blue, following the signs to station 30. He hung his head low and avoided eye contact when medical personnel suddenly rushed past him. After several minutes he arrived at station 30. 

The area differed from where he woke up. All around were stretchers and beds occupied by burn victims and those wounded by bullets or shrapnel. Some of them were strapped down with heavy mag belts to help with blood flow. Hijacking victims. 

At the nurses station he flagged down a charge nurse. 

“Who are you looking for?” she asked. 

“Stella. Stella Ortega.”

“And your name?” 

Anxiety welled up inside of him as fear sought to collapse his vocal cords, but he knew the answer. He finally remembered. 

“I’m Tony, Tony Ortega, her husband.” 

At first the nurse paused, looking him over. She likely had advanced optic scanners in her eyes, they were good at picking up deception. A handy tool in the nurse toolkit.

“Follow me,” she finally said. 

He followed her a few more feet down the walkway of station 30 towards a solitary room, room 39. Inside there were several curtains, dividing the patients. There were at least 3 patients there in the same room. 

The nurse went to a station near the center of the room and pulled back the curtains. HIs heart sank as he peered down at Stella who laid bruised and scarred all over her right side. 

At first he thought she was asleep, but as he approached her eyes opened. 

The nurse stepped back to give them a measure of privacy. 

Stella began to sit up. 

“You. What are you doing here?” she asked. 

“I heard what happened to you, I had to see you.” he replied. 

“But why? Are you the sort of man who falls in love after a failed shag?” 

He laughed, and laughed, the notes of his laughter rising and falling in a melodic rhythm of joy, rumbling and bursting with pops of expression. 

“That laugh, its different, familiar.” she said. 

“You’re the most beautiful woman on Earth and Luna, and I can’t help but stare.” 

“Why is it everywhere I go, you’re there?” she asked.

“I made a promise to you a long time ago, to fiercely correct you when you err, and to fiercely love you when you fall.

 You didn’t like that magazine job in New York. You quit after 3 weeks. Then you worked at a bar on Madison Avenue, I came in one day, broke as hell looking for charity, you spotted me $50 bucks, but then told me I had to make it up to you. Four weeks later I did.” 

Her eyes widened and she inched closer to him. 

“On your knees, let me see you,” she said. 

He fell to his knees saying nothing as she gazed into his eyes silently. Studying every line and crevice in his face. 

“You sound like him now. You had that tattoo. Tony, baby, is it you?” 

“Yes, honey, its me.” He replied.

He leaned forward and kissed her. Her lips were bruised but tender and soft, she paused to catch her breath and then kissed him back, deepening their embrace. It was a moment to recapture lost decades, to regain the comfort of a familiar embrace. 

After a few moments she pulled back. 

“They’re going find you sweetheart, what are you going to do?” 

“We’ll figure it out,” he replied.

Miami Ship Port

Earth

100 hours later…

Hand in hand Antoine, now Tony again peered over the railing down towards the Ship Port Lobby below as Stella opened her bag to search for notepad. 

Tony looked back at her, chuckling as she fumbled through the pieces of paper. 

“You still do pen and paper?”

“It’s an old habit,” she said smiling back. 

He continued people watching, gazing on the hundred of souls leaving and boarding ships bound for Luna or Titan. Holograms and androids moved about freely as if dressing the atmosphere in the richest tapestry of eclectic futurism. 

“Do you think they’re here?” Stella asked nervously. 

“There’s no way they aren’t,” he replied. “But I can’t wait to see our kids again,” he said.

“You will sweetheart. You will,” she said.

She gestured to her notepad. 

“I have a lawyer friend who clerked under Justice Kanazawa. He’ll help us.” 

He sighed and nodded.

“Time to go,” he said. 

They went to an escalator and descended. A mass of people approached them when they reached the bottom. On their uniforms the crest of the Florida Territorial Police.

Among them in a light blue blazer was a young woman he knew. He knew her as Doctor Laura Sanchez, his psychologist after the war. There to help him readjust to civilian life. But today she was someone else, his parole officer. She retrieved a pad and flicked her wrist, moments later a large holographic screen appeared in the air between them, a charging sheet.

“Antonio Deshawn Ortega you are charged in violation of criminal statute 50 of the Florida Territorial Code. As an inmate convicted of triple homicide 80 years ago, the conditions of your parole were that your memories remain wiped, your appearance, age and personality remain altered, and you were to cease deriving access, pleasure and memory from your old life and old relationships.

The parole conditions were broken over a week ago, instigated by your accomplice, this man Deshawn Alonzo Ortega who introduced catalytic nanobytes to your bloodstream through an illegal transfer performed on Luna.”

The holographic screen changed and displayed the image of a young man about 35 with short, braided hair, caramel skin and hazel eyes. 

Stella gasped. 

“That’s our grandson.” 

“I don’t understand.” said Tony looking at the screen and then to Stella.

“He wanted all of us to be together again,” said Stella weeping. 

The woman in the blue blazer continued. 

“These are chargeable offenses and today you will be remanded into the custody of the Florida Territorial Police. Do you understand?”

He nodded as he looked directly at the Police team. “I was only trying to protect my family, the 21^st century was different.”

“Save it for the judge,” she replied.

The officers moved forward and handcuffed him. He was no longer Antoine Fisher, the fictional character, but Tony Ortega, the felon. 

The End…