Journey to Year 1,000,000,000 Ch. 07

At first, Taylor spent time watching Pam. Her smile, the way she moved, and the way she looked excited him. But quickly the pleasure was overcome by the pain, the pain of knowing he would never see her again, never have her again. So he stopped watching.

The rest of the crew enjoyed the waterfalls, however. It was their only connection, however tenuous, with the Earth they knew.

Taylor sat in the grass, watching a cooking fire burn. Victor and Doctor McCrae sat down next to him.

"Don't look so sad, Michael," said Victor.

"I came here to perform a mission," said Taylor.

"And you have, Michael," said Victor, literally patting him on the back.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we were sent here to save the Earth from destruction, were we not?" said Victor. "Well, look around. The Earth doesn't look destroyed to you, does it?"

Suddenly, Taylor realized Victor was right. "We're twenty two million years in the future. If the Earth is still here... then the Black Box didn't destroy the Earth."

"Right, Michael!"

Taylor should have realized it earlier. He should have realized it in the last time zone, and would have, had he not been so distracted.

"But... we didn't do anything," said Taylor.

"Perhaps nothing needed to be done," said Victor. "Or perhaps we are yet to do something that will change the events of time."

"I don't see how we're going to be able to do anything stuck here," said Taylor. "So... maybe the problem solved itself, somehow."

"Maybe," said Victor smiling.

"But where does that leave us?" said Taylor.

"Stuck here in farmville," said Doctor McCrae.

"You're not happy, Doctor?" Victor asked.

"No I'm not," said McCrae. "I'm a doctor, not a vegetable. Have you seen the crew, Michael?"

"I have," said Taylor.

"They just sit around the waterfalls all day, like it's the best holovision they've ever seen. We've turned into cabbages," said McCrae.

"Doctor, after all we've been through, don't you think we're entitled to some rest?" Victor asked.

"Rest, yes," said McCrae. "But it's been several weeks. I'm a doctor with nothing to do. My place isn't here."

"What about you, Victor?" Taylor asked.

"I could use a break, Michael," said Victor.

"And afterwards?" Taylor asked.

"We'll figure something out," said Victor, stretching his legs. "We always do."

"Victor, the incurable optimist," said Doctor McCrae.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Pessimism is more closely akin to realism," said McCrae.

"Really?" said Victor. "Is that what you were thinking when you were being experimented on by aliens with big foreheads, with no prospects for escape?"

"He has you there, Doctor," said Taylor.

McCrae shook his head and wandered off.

"We have to find a way to communicate with the people who are providing us with all these... things," said Taylor.

"I have news for you, Michael," said Victor. "It may not be people at all."

"What do you mean?" said Taylor.

"Look around. The Earth is empty. If there was a civilization, they would have come visiting weeks ago."

"You said they might be shy."

Victor smiled. "Even shyness has its limits. No, my current theory is much more disturbing. I think there are no people here, people as we know them. I think maybe the Earth has somehow become vaguely self-aware."

"The Earth itself?"

Victor nodded. "It's a wild theory. But it would explain the absence of people coming to visit. I think the planet has become self-aware, and is providing us what we need to survive."

"Victor, you said this theory disturbed you."

Victor nodded again. "It does. Because if I'm right, there are no people on this planet to come to our rescue. We will be stranded here for the rest of our lives."

********

Days turned into weeks, and weeks started to turn into months.

Taylor's chilly relations with Jennifer started to improve. When she smiled at him, he didn't turn away. Jennifer made small talk with him, and he responded. Gradually, he felt his anger starting to fade. They walked together to the fields to pick steak and potatoes together.

"This reminds me of my childhood," said Jennifer.

"You grew up on a farm?" Taylor asked.

"In Nebraska, yeah," Jennifer said, giving him a smile. "With three older brothers. Can you imagine that?"

"I can't," said Taylor, who had a brother and sister.

"Yeah. They got all the attention... at least, until I turned 13," said Jennifer.

"And then?"

"The boys from the neighboring farm, who used to come over to talk to my brothers, all came to talk to me," said Jennifer, smiling at him.

Was she flirting with him... again?

"I wonder why," said Taylor.

"Let's just say I was an early developer, Michael," she said, staring at him slyly.

Michael. That was the first time she had called him Michael, since....

Taylor quickly glanced at her beautiful curves through her increasingly worn Survey Service dayshirt. "You must have been very popular in farm country," he said.

"Let's just say I had to fight them off with a magnetic rake," Jennifer smiled. "And what about you, sir?"

"What about me?"

"That time you were a God on that planet. You said there were women...."

Why is Jennifer raising this subject? And why is she looking at me like this?

"You gave me the broad strokes of what happened to you," said Jennifer. She wrinkled her nose. "But never any really juicy details."

"You... you want to know details?"

"Um hm," said Jennifer.

Taylor couldn't believe his ears. He debated how much to tell her. "There was... a woman. A body servant named Drusilla."

"Ah hah!" said Jennifer, and she suddenly had a wide smile on her face. "I knew it!"

Taylor reddened. "This is why I never tell you my stories."

"Are you embarrassed, Captain?" said Jennifer. She rubbed against him 'accidently' as they walked. "I'll bet she enjoyed every minute she spent with her God."

"I... I believe she did," said Taylor.

That wasn't the end of it. Not only would Jennifer openly flirt with him, but she would usually sit with him, in the evenings, at his right hand side at dinner. As the sun would set, the light would reflect off her beautiful dark hair, off her green eyes, and her smile, as she stared at him adoringly.

When they would go to bed afterwards, she would say "Goodnight, Captain" in that sweet voice filled with longing.

Taylor began to think there was potential for something between the two of them.

It had been nearly two months since the Devonshire had crashed here, and it was now quite clear to everyone that they had little chance of rescue. The crew did what was natural. They started to pair off.

The surviving crew of 64 had 42 men and 22 women on it.

That meant there were 22 very happy women.

And that also meant that there were 20 unhappy men.

Taylor's eyebrows arched in surprise the night he saw Ensign Clay Raleigh enter the tent of Doctor Michelle Weatherford. Doctor Weatherford was nearly 70 years old, with white hair, and Raleigh was in his 20's.

He said as much to Victor.

"Don't be surprised, Michael," said Victor. "Anyone with a vagina can get sex, Michael. Anyone. That's the way it's always been, since the beginning of time."

Taylor thought about it. It felt like ages since he had last had sex. Now that he was back on dry land, in a relaxed environment with no worries, he started to feel natural urges... surfacing.

"You should think about pairing off, Michael," said Victor. "Before it's too late."

Jennifer. He meant Jennifer. He saw the knowing look in Victor's eyes. Were he and her being that obvious?

"She won't wait forever," said Victor.

"I know," said Taylor, feeling embarrassed to even admit it. "But I'm her captain."

"Not here you're not. Not anymore," said Victor. He slapped Taylor on the back. "Make hay while the sun shines, Michael. You never know when there's going to be a nova bomb in your breakfast cereal."

A nova bomb in your breakfast cereal. That was so like Victor.

After Victor said goodnight, Taylor thought about it. He had been thinking of nothing else for weeks. But how would it look to the crew... if he and Jennifer.... maybe he should wait a little longer. It would look less... improper, if he waited a little longer.

But then he went on a walk with Suki Tanaka which crystallized the situation for him.

They went to fetch water from the stream.

Suki had altered her Survey Service uniform. She had cut off the trousers so that they were now short shorts, which accentuated her well rounded ass. She had opened up her collar and pulled down her neckline so that the sides of her large creamy Southeast Asian breasts were showing. It was all against regulations but... what did Survey Service regulations matter here?

Suki smiled every time she saw Taylor staring at her breasts. He couldn't help it. He remembered how beautiful she looked, the time... the time he had made love to her. It was true, that the Ascended had heightened his sex drive, but there was no denying he found Suki attractive. Very attractive.

"The crew are starting to pair off, Captain," she said, in a low, seductive voice.

"So I've noticed," said Taylor. He also noticed that Suki walked in front of him, wiggling her tight ass as she walked, well aware of the effect it was having on them.

"Are you going to take a girlfriend, Captain?" She asked slyly, fluttering her eyes as she looked back at him.

Take. She said take.

"Me? No," said Taylor.

"Why not?" Suki asked, fluttering her eyelids in a way which excited him.

"I'm the Captain. It wouldn't be... proper."

Suki turned and faced him, flashing those wonderful breasts again. "Take a good look around you, Captain. We're not on a Survey Service ship. And from the way it looks, we never will be again." She stared at him for a long moment, with those dark eyes, and then turned and started walking again, wiggling her ass as she walked.

Taylor struggled to respond to that. Instead, he turned the question around. "How about you?"

"What about me?" Suki asked innocently.

Captain's girl. I want to be your Captain's girl.

"Have you found someone? Adam Milbrand seems interested...."

"Adam is nice," said Suki. "But Adam's almost a boy. I want a man." And again those dark eyes flashed at him, along with that little smile.

"Or how about Bruce Tanner, or Carl Waverly-"

"I know who I want, Captain," she said, turning abruptly to face him. They stared at each other for a long moment. Suki paused, considering what she wanted to say. Finally, she spoke. "She doesn't want you, you know."

She?

"You know who I'm talking about," said Suki. Her dark eyes were intoxicating. He could practically fall into them. "She wants Obongo."

"No," Taylor breathed. Jennifer? The same Jennifer who flirted with him, day in and day out? The same Jennifer who sat next to him by the campfire every day?

The same Jennifer who had become friendly with Obongo Babangida. Taylor had noticed it, without really noticing it. He didn't know what had transpired between the two of them after they had been stimulated into having sex with each other. Were they angry? Embarrassed? Something else?

But whatever they were, Taylor could see they had become friends. Jennifer smiled at Babangida, and he at her. Jennifer still sat next to Taylor in the evenings, but sometimes he would see her having lunch with Babangida, smiling and laughing. Taylor hadn't thought much of it, at the time, but now....

He looked into Suki's eyes, and realized he could delay no longer.

********

The following day, Taylor asked Jennifer to come to the fields to pick some food with him. She agreed, and brought some bags.

But as they walked, Jennifer said, "Michael, this isn't the way to the fields."

"I know," said Taylor, looking around. They were in a small valley out of view of the camp. It would do. "I wanted to talk to you."

Jennifer's eyes grew wide.

Taylor took her hands in his own. "Jennifer... I think it's time we... talked."

"All right, Michael," she said, planting her arms on her hips, trying to hide the concern growing in her mind.

"I...." Taylor suddenly choked up.

"It's all right," said Jennifer. She put a hand on his, and looked in his eyes."Whatever it is, it's all right, Michael. You can tell me."

"I... I had this whole speech prepared. It sounded really good," said Michael.

"I've heard you give good speeches, Michael," said Jennifer, smiling at him. "Don't worry. Just say it."

Michael looked into her eyes and found the courage to continue. "I... I think it is increasingly unlikely we are going to be rescued."

Pause.

"Um hm," said Jennifer.

"And... I noticed that some of the crew are pairing off."

"I noticed that too," said Jennifer evenly.

"And I thought... I thought... you and I... maybe... we... we could...."

"Oh Michael," said Jennifer. "My dear, sweet Michael."

Oh no.

And so Taylor's heart was crushed.

Jennifer sighed. "Michael, I'm married. To my Michael. Or had you forgotten that?"

"I hadn't," said Taylor. "But we're stranded, twenty two million years in the future. The chances of your seeing your Michael again... I think, are almost zero."

Jennifer took a deep breath. "Speaking logically, you're right. Speaking logically." She repeated, looking up at him as she caressed his hand. "But Michael, dear, sweet, Michael, it's not all about logic. I still feel a strong emotional attachment to him."

"But surely you know you're never going to see him again-"

"I... yes, I suppose," she said, taking another deep breath. "But emotionally, I'm just not there, yet. I... I need more time, Michael. Can you do that? Can you give me that?"

"Of course," said Taylor.

"Thank you," she said. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek, which felt exactly the same as when Babangida decked him in the face.

She picked up the bags. "Now, shouldn't we get back to business?"

Taylor nodded dumbly.

********

"How are you doing, Vincent?" Victor asked, as he came over to Vincent's tent.

"Fine," said Vincent sullenly. He sat alone, in front of his tent, which was far from the other tents.

"I never see you at the campfires at night," said Victor, sitting down cross legged so he would be at eye level with Vincent.

While Vincent shared in the chores and the food, it was quite clear from the cold treatment he got from others that he was not welcomed to socialize.

"I'm not interested in that."

"People talk about you sometimes, Vincent."

Vincent gave a bitter laugh. "I'm sure they do."

Victor frowned. "I wasn't there, Victor. I didn't see what you did."

"You must have heard," said Vincent.

"I did," said Victor.

"It's true... all of it," said Vincent. "I broke. Completely broke. They not only turned me, they got me to torture Elizabeth."

"I know," said Victor.

"She won't forgive me. None of them will. Even the other ones who also broke."

"I know," said Victor again.

"Then... why are you here?"

Victor smiled. "Because I am capable of forgiveness, and I think they are too."

Vincent frowned at him. "You're nice. You're popular. Everyone likes you."

"Not always," said Victor.

"No?"

"No," said Victor. "I used to be quite different in my 20's and 30's. I was hard charging. Focused on the science. Very competitive. It cost me my first wife, and a lot of my friends."

"So... what happened?" Vincent asked.

"I changed," said Victor. "As all people do," he said. He patted Vincent on the shoulder as he got up. "Just give it some time."

********

"How are you doing, Elizabeth?"

"Captain Taylor," said Elizabeth, with surprise in her voice. Like Vincent, she had been sitting in front of her tent, staring into nothingness. Her clothes were getting increasingly stressed from constant use, but her hair was still in its trademark bun on top of her head.

Taylor smiled. "I think we've gone beyond titles, here. You can call me Michael now."

"All right... Michael," she said, giving a small smile.

"That's better," said Taylor. "I don't see you at the waterfalls like the others."

"I looked at it," said Elizabeth. "There's nothing I want to see."

"Nothing you left behind? No one from home?"

"No," said Elizabeth. "I joined the Survey Service to get out there, into space. Not to sit here and... vegetate on an empty ranch."

"Doctor McCrae feels as you do."

"Oh?" said Elizabeth.

"Perhaps you'd like to talk to him about it," said Taylor.

"And why would I do that... Michael?" She looked up at him.

"Some of the crew are staring to pair off."

"Really? Why, I hadn't noticed," said Elizabeth dryly.

"You should. Bill McCrae is a good man. You'd like him."

She looked up at him with half lidded eyes. "Why Captain Taylor, are you playing match maker with me?"

Taylor smiled back at her. "And what if I am?"

"I'm not attracted to Bill McCrae... although he is a good man," she was hasty to add.

"Who are you attracted to?" Taylor asked.

Elizabeth blushed, and looked away. "No one who is attainable, let's just say." She abruptly changed the subject. "And what about you, Captain? Who will you be pairing off with? Jennifer Hale? Suki Tanaka?"

Taylor shook his head. "Neither. I'm still the Captain, wherever we are. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to get involved with a crewmember, even under circumstances like these."

"Oh, I see," said Elizabeth, nodding with mock agreement. "And what about the scientists?"

"What about them?"

"Well, technically they are under my command, not yours. If there's any woman on my team you might be attracted to, I'd be happy to play matchmaker for you, Captain," she said, looking innocently at him as she fingered her bun.

Taylor paused for a long moment. "No... that won't be necessary. But thank you, Elizabeth." He turned to go, but before leaving, turned again, and saw her eyes were on his; and their gazes met for a long moment, and then he turned one last time and left.

********

Just minutes later, Elizabeth's mood turned abruptly worse as Victor raised an unpleasant subject with her.

"Are you really here to talk about Vincent, that fucking little slug? Forget it!" Elizabeth snapped.

"You can't stay angry at him forever, Elizabeth," said Victor.

"Really? Can't I? Try me!" she said. "Do you know where he whipped me, Victor?"

Victor shook his head.

"On my back, Victor. Do you know where else he whipped me?"

Victor shook his head again.

"On my arms. And my legs. And my belly. And even... and even my....." she started to choke up. "I still have faint lines. From the scars. Would you like to see them?"

Victor shook his head a third time.

"How can I forgive someone who did that to me?" she asked.

"He was under duress, as all of you were."

"No one else broke that far, Victor!" Elizabeth snapped. "Oh, we broke and told them we were their slaves, yes. We put on the bondage outfits, yes. But we never actually harmed each other. Only Vincent, Victor, only Vincent!" She started sobbing.

"What is it?" Victor asked . "What is it that's really bothering you? Tell me. Tell me, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth came sobbing into his arms. "Vincent... Vincent once asked me out, Victor... then he cancelled... but... but ever since then, he always stared at my... at my...."

"At your breasts?"

Elizabeth nodded. "He was obsessed with me. I could see it in his eyes. And then, when this happened, when this happened...." She started crying again, but managed to speak. "I... I think he wanted to do it, Victor. I think he enjoyed doing it."

Elizabeth sobbed as Victor held her. "Oh Elizabeth, my dear poor Elizabeth. You've got him all wrong."