Exile to the Stars (The Alarai Chronicles) by Dale B. Mattheis Read Free Book Online

his
head. “Really had a weird dream last night, though. Never experienced anything
like it before.”
    The
odd tone to Jeff’s voice was so intriguing that Carl sat back down. “Like
what?”
    “Like,
I don’t know. You’ve seen some of those holographic travelogues, right?”
    “Yeah,
so?”
    “So
that’s what the dream reminds me of. It was so real! It was as if I were
floating several hundred feet up in the air.”
    “Are
you going to tell me what you saw, or do I have to muss you up?”
    Jeff
grinned at Carl’s impatience. “Sorry to be so vague, but....” His voice trailed
off. “Holy simoleons,” Jeff breathed, “now I remember. It had to be a summer
evening. The smells. Lord, it was so beautiful!”
    “Whoa.
You were aware of smells? That’s not only unusual, it’s almost unheard of.”
    “Maybe
so,” Jeff replied with a stubborn set to his mouth, “but smells were definitely
present. I think it must have been an island. Looked like pictures I’ve seen of
England except there were mountains right up against the shore. Maybe more like
Scotland. Carl, thinking about it now, it almost seems like I was being given a
choice.”
    “Now,
don’t tell me this dream had a moderator!”
    “No,”
Jeff said slowly, “It was like the land itself posed the choice: do you really
want a new life?”
    “Some
dream, boyo. Maybe wish fulfillment?”
    Spreading
his hands in uncertainty, Jeff replied, “Could be, I guess. God knows I
wouldn’t mind finding a place like that to live. Dream, wish fulfillment or
whatever, it was so beautiful and offered hope. Think I might try to get to
sleep early tonight.”
    “Think
I would, too. Well, got to run. See you tomorrow.”
    Although
it was a good night for sleep, Jeff was disappointed he couldn’t remember any
dreams Sunday morning. He toyed with breakfast as long as possible before
swinging the communication unit over the bed.
    “Let’s
just get it out of the way. I’ve got to know.” He punched a button. “Seattle
Times, Sunday edition, 32325.” The set beeped and gave the ready signal.
“Initiate.”
    He
rapidly scrolled through the first section. Front page, three columns, no
picture. Thank God. Jeff scanned the article again.
    “Jesus!
You killed both of them!”
    Jeff
tried to punch in the code for a hard copy, but his hands were shaking so badly
he kept hitting the wrong keys. Downing what remained of a cold cup of coffee,
he whispered, “Hard copy. Alpha one, beta four.” Too quiet, no response.
    “God
dammit! Hard copy! Alpha one, beta four!”
    The
console whirred quietly and dutifully spit out the requested parts of the
paper. Jeff tried to read it through from start to finish, but his eyes
wouldn’t pass the paragraph that ghoulishly detailed the coroner’s report.
Sometime later, it could have been minutes or hours, Jeff was startled from
bitter self-recrimination by a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to find a
woman standing by the bed. She was wearing a long lab coat and intently
examining his face.
    “Terrible
way to meet, Mr. Friedrick. I’m Doctor Winston.”
    Jeff
tried to figure out why she looked familiar. The doctor glanced down and saw
the hard copy, which had fallen from Jeff’s fingers onto the bed. She pushed
the console out of the way and sat down.
    “Want
to talk about it? It doesn’t take a shrink to see what this has cost you.”
    Recognition
seeped in. It was the doctor from the emergency room.
    “Don’t
know what to think right now.”
    “It’ll
take a while.” She gestured at the hard copy. “We’ve seen those two in the E.R.
on more than one occasion. What they would have done to you had you not
defended yourself makes this article seem like nothing. Small consolation, but
it’s a fact.”
    She
reviewed his chart on a hand-held computer then listened to heart and lungs.
Removing a slender electronic jack from an inconspicuous module attached behind
her ear, Dr. Winston slipped the auditory pickup into