Vessel

37

AS CELLS WENT, Catherine supposed this one was comfortable. The bed wasn’t bad, the toilet wasn’t exposed, and she suspected some staff member or other was making the home-cooked meals that showed up three times a day.

None of that changed the fact she was a prisoner somewhere in the depths of Johnson Space Center, or that everyone who came to see her was forced to go through a ridiculous routine of hazmat suits and decontamination, as if she hadn’t been walking around freely for months.

The first time they’d brought her food in, she’d laughed. “Seriously?” She recognized the staffer in the suit. “I sat next to you in meetings every week. Don’t you think you would have caught something by now?”

If the excuse for holding her was that she needed to be quarantined, then NASA needed to follow quarantine protocol to the letter. It was almost darkly humorous to watch the charade.

At least they let her have some visitors. The second day she was there David showed up at her door right after breakfast.

He gave her an awkward hug through the hazmat suit. “Catherine, what the hell is going on?”

“Is Cal okay?” It was the one question that had been eating her alive. She didn’t know if he’d been fired—or worse. Was he sitting in a cell, too?

“Morganson? I haven’t seen him. Tell me what happened!”

Each time she told her entire story, it got a little easier. She’d been so concerned about being believed—about what other people would think—she’d never stopped to consider how telling the whole story would make her feel free.

“I’ll see what it will take to get you out of here,” David said. “Do you want me to hire a lawyer?” He didn’t say a single word about aliens, or first contact. Whether he believed her or not, he was still the man with the practical solutions.

“Please. I need to get out of here.”

“Catherine, I meant a criminal defense lawyer. They could charge you with killing Tom. With all of them, even.”

It wasn’t that Catherine was unaware of the danger she was in. They could charge her with whatever they’d like, as long as she and Cal managed to bring back Sagittarius. Six people might well die, or worse, because they had failed.

“I know,” she said. “But I don’t think they will. I heard someone saying they’re debating bringing me up on espionage charges, but they’re not quite sure how the laws work when the other entity is from another planet. I bet they don’t even do that. Not when they can hold me here indefinitely.” She smiled thinly. “Better PR if I just quietly disappear. So, make some noise and get me out of here.” The only problem was, David wasn’t the type of guy to make noise.

“They can’t just keep you here; quarantine ends at some point, right?”

“I’m a whole new ball game,” Catherine said dryly.

“Then I’m definitely getting you a lawyer,” David said. “You’re not going to sit here and let them figure out how to keep you locked up forever.”

“How’s Aimee doing?”

“She’s shaken, but okay. She’s coming to see you later today.”

“I wish she wouldn’t,” Catherine sighed. “She should be at school, not focusing on me.”

“I know, but it’s her choice.”

“How is she taking this?” She didn’t want to ask but had to know. She and Aimee had made such progress. Would Aimee be angry that Catherine had—yet again—not told her the whole truth?

“She’s worried sick about you. We all are.” There. There was the slightly pitying look. David didn’t believe her, not about all of it.

Their time ended with David promising again to find a lawyer for her. The whole visit was more unsettling than comforting. If David hadn’t seen Cal, then Cal must be gone from NASA—unless he was locked up down here somewhere, too; but even if Cal was free, a visit from him was probably too much to hope for. She doubted they’d let her see him, for fear of some sort of conspiracy.

Aimee arrived during the long, dull hours between lunch and dinner, ushered in with the same routine of hazmat suit and air-lock doors.

“Mom!” Another awkward half hug. “How can they do this? Don’t they know what you’ve already gone through?”

They settled in side by side on Catherine’s bed, and Catherine filled her in on all the things she couldn’t tell Aimee before. Unlike with David, this time Catherine was nervous.

“So… actual aliens?” Aimee’s eyes lit up. “I mean, that must have been awful, but Mom, oh my God, aliens?”

Catherine couldn’t hold back a smile despite everything. “Yeah, I know. It sounds crazy. Which is why I’m here.”

“I can’t believe NASA would do this to one of their own astronauts.” Aimee’s face fell into mutinous lines. “If anyone should understand the possibilities here, it should be them.”

She didn’t know about Iris Addy, and now wasn’t the time for Catherine to tell her. “So you’re not mad that I didn’t tell you sooner?”

“Mom, you work for a government agency. I know there’s stuff you can’t tell me.” Aimee lifted her shoulders in a sheepish shrug. “I might not like it, but I know it’s not your fault.”

“I promise I will always tell you whatever I can.”

“I know you will.” Aimee looked around the featureless cell and shivered. “I never knew that NASA had anything like this.” She turned back to Catherine. “What can I do to help? There’s got to be something.”

Catherine was torn. Aimee should stay far away from this, all of it. She should focus on college, move on with her life. But right now, there seemed to be two people who believed what had happened to her: Aimee and Cal. And Cal was missing. Catherine had to find out what happened to him.

Sensing her hesitation, Aimee said, “Mom, come on. Tell me.”

“There was a man I was working with. Cal Morganson. He helped gather some of the evidence we found.” Again, Catherine found herself on the edge of how much to tell Aimee and backed away from it. Besides, what was she going to call him? He wasn’t her boyfriend, not really. She pushed on. “I don’t know what’s happened to him. I don’t know if NASA has him ‘quarantined’ somewhere or what. Can you find out? Ask your dad; maybe he can help.”

“Do you want me to go talk to him, if he’s okay?”

“No, honey, you don’t need to do that. They’re not going to let me see him, so it doesn’t matter. I just… want to be sure he’s okay.” I want to make sure he’s still out there, that he’s still on my side.

“I will. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

When Aimee’s time was up, Catherine held her as tight as the suit would allow. If she let go, would she ever see Aimee again?