Personal Log 26: 20th - 26th July, 3301 (part two)
15 Sep 2016Jemine Caesar
20th - 26th July, 3301 (Part Two)While I had been on Earth, Sam had flown out to the NTUP Foundation labs on Feynman Terminal at Bhritzameno to begin our enquiries into the theft of the NTUP virus. I made my own way there and, after changing into a yellow dress I had just bought at Ross 154, met up with Sam in the Star & Garter bar. I gave him an account of my meeting with Aoife Hohnlein, and then asked him if he'd found out any more about the theft.
"No," he replied. "The people here are staying very tight-lipped about it. It does seem odd that John would steal the NTUP sample when he already knew he carried the virus himself. Still, Admiral Remi has confirmed that John's DNA was found in the lab here."
Presently we began to speak of other things. Across the bar, two men had just finished playing a game which involved throwing small arrows into a round, segmented board. Each segment was numbered between one and twenty.
"It's called Darts," said Sam, helpfully. "An ancient bar-room game."
I stood up. "High Hoop, Sam!" I said. "Or are you afraid you'll be beaten by a girl? I've never played before, but how hard can it be?"
After a brief lesson in the rules, I found out that darts was not as easy as it looked. I let go of one of my darts too soon, narrowly missing the foot of a pilot drinking nearby, bringing an angry shout of "Hoi, pet!" The game ended 0-12 in Sam's favour. I accused Sam of trying to let me win, but he denied the charge vehemently.
Later, in the privacy of our room, Sam mentioned the refertilisation treatment.
"I will use it, Sam," I said. "But not yet. Just give me a little more time. Please?"
Sam nodded, and said, "Of course, Jem. I'm not rushing you. But I should point out it's only got a shelf life of twenty-eight days."
I smiled. "Don't worry," I assured him. "It won't be wasted, I promise." Then we kissed, and Sam demonstrated how proficient he had become at unclothing me. I didn't resist...
Next morning I found a message waiting for me on my dataslate. "Well Sam," I said. "If we had any hopes of working undercover here, we can forget it! The rumour mill has been working overtime since you arrived, and they've already started putting two and two together. A lab assistant named Bronwen Jones wants me to meet up with her and a friend after they finish their shift this evening. She said she might have some useful information for us."