Tyson heard voices and woke up, sitting up in the unfamiliar bed. The day's events came back to him and he wiped tears from his eyes, remembering all that he had lost. His parents had always disapproved of his work in the streets, but he would have never thought that they would damn the country, no the planet, dragging him along with them. Of course, he would have been upset if his parents had vanished, but Tyson would have preferred to have a choice in what his life was becoming.
He rose from the bed, sliding open the door to see two people sitting with Alcott. They all turned to look at him when he entered the room. The woman was quite short, barely reaching the man's shoulders. The way they stood so close together made Tyson think they were probably a couple.
"You didn't sleep very long," Alcott remarked.
"I'm a light sleeper," he answered. "Hello."
"Tyson, this is Esperanza and Lully," Alcott introduced. "They're good friends of mine. Lully brought you a holo-rib. I'll show you how to use it."
"And it really doesn't cost anything?" Tyson inquired, suspicious that his parents paid for it secretly.
"I mean it costs three hundred credits in materials, but we don't ever charge anyone," Lully said. "We only ever get the one holo-rib."
"Unless you're Keller," Esperanza laughed. "Then you have to buy another when you drop yours into the trash compactor."
"Keller is a special case," Lully replied with a grin. "So you have your holo-rib; do you think that he has anything in personnel? I don't remember if Dashiell and the others did."
"We haven't gone yet," Alcott admitted. "I was planning to as soon as he woke up, as well as a trip to see our captain. I think he should explain some things to Tyson, things I cannot. What are you two up later?"
"Emerson wants to clear the main hall to play baskets," Lully said. "We haven't in ages, even before Harper was injured. It'll probably take us all evening to get the chairs put away, to be honest." He grinned. "You and Tyson should come play."
"I have no interest in playing anything while I'm pregnant, I'll wipe out and be in the medical bay for the rest of the cycle," Alcott informed him. "If Tyson isn't completely exhausted, we might stop by."
"And we need to get back to work," Esperanza noted. "Thank you, Alcott, for allowing us to come over. I'm glad we talked."
The shorter woman touched Alcott's arm and then left with Lully. Tyson watched them go and then turned his attention to Alcott.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"A couple of errands around the base," she explained, heading for the door.
"Is it all one building?"
"Yes. Currently, we're in an earthstorm; they get quite brutal; we would die if we went outside. It's a terrible time to wake, sorry."
Tyson glanced in the windows, noting that most of the large rooms they passed had science type tables and labs. No lab coats, but people using their holo-ribs and staring at beakers. He had never been any good with science. Amino acids had never held his attention, and calculus was exhausting for so little outcome.
"When's the baby due?" he inquired.
"In about three cycles," she replied, which didn't give him any information he could use. "I'm going to have to print new clothes before then. I feel huge already."
Tyson nodded, but Alcott didn't explain further. They made a couple turns. Each hallway was color coded, but without any signs saying what color was which. This place wasn't very user-friendly.
"Where are we headed?" he asked finally.
"Oh, personnel. Cameron will want to get you into the system."
"Okay."
He was about to ask another question, but they entered a large room that looked rather like a doctor's office. A blonde woman was at the counter and she smiled when she saw Alcott.
"This must be Tyson," she said. "Hello, I'm Cameron. I'm on congress with your father. I set aside your things, one moment."
Cameron left the counter. Alcott let out a sigh, a worried look appearing on her face. Tyson wondered if it was his fault. He was glad he had someone to show him around; he couldn't imagine dealing with his parents this whole time or trying to understand where he was by himself. It was a good system, to have a partner that could show him the ropes.
"Here you are," Cameron said, holding up a small box. "I printed out his codes; it's on the top."
"Cameron, how did you know that he'd be here today?" Alcott inquired.
Her tone was mild but reminded Tyson of his mother's pre-yelling voice. It was a little too calm.
Cameron smiled. "Val messaged me. He was supposed to come in with them, but I guess that didn't work out?"
She directed the question at Tyson who rolled one shoulder.
"Not really," he replied. He wasn't sure how many people knew about his tantrum, but he hoped to keep it to a minimum.
"Merci, Cameron," Alcott said. "I'm sorry; I'm a little on edge. Dashiell has been...frustrating."
"He forgets that people are real, breathing humans with needs," Tyson grumbled. "Some things never change. Where is he?"
"He has an office down the hall," Cameron said, pointing left. "Is there anything else?"
"Oui, Tyson was a social worker on Earth," Alcott said. "I think it sounds useful, but don't know if it'd be personnel or medical."
Cameron shrugged. "I'm not sure. Ask Dashiell? He knows more about what a social worker is and how he might fit in."
Tyson groaned. "Fine. Let's go talk to him."
He took the box from the counter and lugged it to the door. Alcott followed behind until they got to the door, and then she took the lead to Dashiell's office. Tyson became more and more reluctant as they walked down the hall. He hadn't spoken to Dashiell in years; the last time had been during the inauguration where he couldn't get away. He still couldn't believe that America had voted for the bastard, and then seemed surprised when he wasn't the bright and shining savior they needed.
Alcott knocked on the door, which opened rather quickly. Dashiell's patented boyish smile appeared, and Tyson immediately thought this was a bad idea.
"Ty!" Dashiell boomed. "I'm so glad to see you, son!"
"I'm not your son," Tyson grumbled but was crushed in a hug anyway.
"Hello, Alcott," Dashiell continued. "I didn't expect you two together so quickly."
"Neither did I," Alcott replied in the same tone she had used with Cameron. "Dashiell, when I agreed to this, I thought you would wait a reasonable amount of time. I thought that I would be involved. You did not involve me. You did not give me any practical amount of time to prepare myself."
Dashiell grimaced. Tyson hadn't seen him lose his smile before and was impressed with Alcott. She put her hands on her hips and waited.
"I'm sorry," Dashiell admitted. "I...got impatient. Val and Titus didn't expect to wake without him. That was my call, and I should have considered you as well, I'm sorry."
"Oui, you should have," Alcott replied, taking the box from Tyson's arms. "You two have some things to talk about. Bring Tyson back to my berth when you two are done."
"Back with you? Ty, don't you want to have dinner with your parents?"
"Not a chance," Tyson snorted. "Alcott, why are you leaving?"
She had already headed away from the door but paused when Tyson had called to her.
"You two have things to talk about," she repeated and walked away.
Tyson stared after her and then faced Dashiell. Regardless of what they were going to talk about, Tyson assumed that it wasn't good news.
"What is this about?" he asked.
Dashiell opened the door wider to let Tyson in. Both men sat, staring at each other for a moment. Dashiell hadn't aged. Tyson wasn't certain why he had thought he would. The clothes were oddly textured and hung a little loosely on the older man. Tyson had never seen Dashiell in anything but a suit and tie. He was dressed to fit into this base, but of course, Dashiell didn't exactly fit in a society of beakers and blackberry genetics.
"I didn't expect to have this conversation. I thought your parents would..." he sighed. "Anyway. The year is 2167. We're on a new planet. You know this. Your parents grabbed you before we were stored on the ship called Canary, and I woke them when I needed help solving a murder. I promised them I'd wake you, but you don't have a genetic match on the base. According to the rules here, we couldn't wake you without having that match. It's to keep genetic diversity in a small population, or that's what Madison tells me."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that you and Alcott are genetically disparate enough to satisfy the requirements," he continued. "And since, Alcott's first partner died, she's available for now. I want to change the rules of genetic pairing and I needed you out of cryo for congress to consider it."
"Why?"
"Because my daughter is still in cryo because her match is too young," Dashiell explained with a sigh.
It was slowly dawning on Tyson what Dashiell was going on about. Alcott wasn't some welcoming committee, she was supposed to be, what, his mate? What kind of place was this?
"Are you serious?" Tyson snarled. "I'm not going to... start a family with a woman I have never met."
"Which is why Alcott is perfect," Dashiell insisted. "She's mourning her partner. She doesn't want you. She wants to raise her child in peace. You'll be able to live your life."
"My life?" Tyson argued. "Are you kidding me?"
"No one gets another option," the older man shot back. "This society is based on survival. And we need genetics to do so. I need you to calm down and face the reality here."
Tyson shot up out of his seat, reading to start shouting. Dashiell grasped his arm, shoving him back into the seat.
"Sit down," Dashiell ordered. "You are way out of line. You don't get a choice. I don't get a choice. Stay with Alcott. Stay with your parents, I don't care. I got you out; my debt to your parents is over."
"That's it? You drop me into a world I can never fit in?"
"Yes, that's it," Dashiell sighed. "I'm doing what I can, Tyson. But this is a research facility. A military installation. Not a city. Not a home."
He looked genuinely concerned, not that Tyson ever believed him. Dashiell knew that conning him was a lost cause, and so Tyson was surprised by the effort.
"At least tell me about this place," he requested. "I don't know anything."
"You'll need a job," Dashiell mused. "You were what? A shrink?"
"A social worker."
"Either way, I'll talk to Madison. We need someone who can help with...there have been some deaths here. We've got kids who don't talk; people who are falling apart: it's right up your alley."
Dashiell smiled, and Tyson gave him a glare.
"I should get you back to Alcott then." Dashiell rose from his seat. "Why her? Why are you ignoring your parents?"
"Because I wish they would have left me on Earth," Tyson replied. "And I can't forgive them for that. And Alcott is kind. Does she know that I'm her..."
"Partner? Yes, she knows. She doesn't know all the nuances of the situation, they've never known anything else here. I would just keep you to yourself, Tyson. At least Alcott doesn't have any interest in you."
He clapped Tyson on the shoulder. "Let's get you back home."
___
And just like that, Tyson is now informed. Barely. Dashiell is a little like the blind leading the blind though... Thanks for reading!