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CHAPTER TEN

NINE DAYS LATER

Beneath a beautiful sunset sky, Kathryn walked on a glorious beach of crystal white sand and frothy waves. A soft southern breeze blew, relieving the heat of the dying day, and Kathryn walked slowly along the water's edge. The splendor, the tranquility, should have been enough to soothe the deepest of sorrows, but Kathryn's mood was melancholy. For days she had searched the Emerald Coast, moving from city to city, hotel to hotel, in the hope of finding Chakotay, but had not managed to do so. She had always known it was a long shot, the Emerald Coast was hardly Brighton Pier, but as she hadn't been able to find him anywhere in New L.A., she had thought it was worth a try. He had told her many times how much he loved the Emerald Coast, how much he loved to swim in the Gulf of Mexico and to run along sandy beaches. It was the first place he wanted to go when they got home, to a place he had called Eldorma, but that place did not exist on this world and she had no idea where it should be located. If only she had asked Chakotay more about it. Trying to find it then would not be like trying to find a needle in a very big haystack.

In the distance, a group of surfers danced over waves with their boards, and Kathryn stopped walking to look at them. It was hard to believe that everything around her was artificial. Everything seemed so real, felt so real, smelt so real. What was it all? Manipulated matter or a holographic illusion? There was just no way of telling. During her career in Starfleet she had seen many strange things, experienced many strange anomalies, met many strange beings, but this world was the strangest, most bizarre, circumstance she had ever found herself in. Just what was the point of it all? Was this world really just created for a bigger species to look at them as humans looked at fishes in glass bowls? Was it really just some kind of educational sight-seeing stop or was there something more sinister going on? How could she tell? How could she find out? Was there a way of finding out? The more time she spent alone on this world without any of the technological gadgets she had become accustomed too, the harder it was to keep believing there was something that could be done. Maybe Jacob, the old man who lived in the apartment next to hers, was right. Maybe Dieter was right. Maybe it was futile to fight for freedom against a species so big and advanced that they wielded the power of a god. As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods...Jacob's echo of the bard came back to her. Is that all humans were to this species...the equivalent of flies? And even if they were so big that they could hold a thousand humans in their hand, did that make human hopes and dreams insignificant? As Kathryn considered the question, she concluded she would treat flies better in the future.

After watching the surfers for a while, Kathryn began to walk back to her hotel. The sun was almost over the horizon and it was getting harder to see. It would soon be dark and the closure of yet another day without finding Chakotay depressed her. Tomorrow she would take another bus to another hotel in another city, but sooner or later she was going to have to return to New Los Angeles. While the hotels were not expensive and the buses were cheap, she didn't have a lot of money. Neither could she get more without getting a job or returning to the Welfare Office in New L.A. Dieter and Celes had both enrolled in a two year funded college program that would give them a teacher's certificate in science, but Kathryn didn't want any commitments. How could she hold down a job and try to find and liberate her people? If she had to, she would enroll on a college program too, something that would give her plenty of time for extracurricular activities, but she hoped that she could ward off the shackles of commitment for as long as possible.

As she walked, a large silky black dog ran up to her, wagging his tail in a friendly greeting. Being the dog-lover that she was, Kathryn bent over and tickled the dog under his ear, much to the animal's delight.

"Hello there, big guy," she said. "Having an evening stroll?"

The dog was with an elderly couple and they stopped to talk.

"He's a real softie," the old man said. "You wouldn't tell by looking at him, but he definitely is."

"He's adorable," Kathryn smiled. "What's his name?"

"Rover," the lady answered. "Rover the pushover."

The dog looked up at Kathryn with big brown eyes and she thought of another dog, in another time.

"Reminds me of a dog I had once," she said, the memory evoking both joy and sadness. "Petunia. Boy, was she a handful."

The old man questioned. "You on holiday here?"

"Just passing through," Kathryn announced.

"I thought I hadn't seen you in these parts before," the man surmised.

Kathryn turned her attention away from the dog to the couple. "Are you from these parts?"

"We are," the woman informed her. "We live just off the beach."

"Then maybe you can help me," Kathryn suggested. "I'm looking for an old friend who might live around here. His name is Chakotay and he's Native American. He's tall, handsome, and and has a tribal tattoo on his left temple. Have you seen him?"

"I can't say I have," the woman replied. "Charles?"

"No," he answered. "But if we see him, do you want us to pass on a message?"

"If you could," Kathryn said gratefully. She had asked many people in many places if they had seen him, and if they offered to pass on a message, she always gave the same one. "Tell him to contact Kathryn Janeway at Sky-Rider Apartments in New Los Angeles." It was unlikely they would see him, but the more eyes looking for him, the better the chances of success.

"We will," the old man said sincerely. He then patted his dog's back. "Come on, Rover, let's get going."

The dog began to walk and the couple smiled a farewell. "Enjoy the rest of your stay," the old lady said.

"Thank you," Kathryn replied.

With that, the couple were on their way. Kathryn resumed her walk along the shore and noticed for the first time how empty the beach was. Apart from the old couple walking their dog, the surfers, and some evening runners scattered here and there, the beach was deserted. She fixed her eyes on a pair of oncoming runners and watched as they got bigger and bigger as they came into view. Their outline told her they were male, and they had a solid rhythm as they ran through the shallow waves of the incoming tide. The nearer they got, the more characteristics she could see, and she noted that one of them was fair and broad, reminding her of a tiger, and the other tall and dark, reminding her of a panther. When they got closer still, she could see their faces, and Kathryn's whole being froze when she saw on the tallest man's countenance a familiar face. It was a face she had seen a million times in her dreams, a face she had loved with her all her heart and soul.

It was Justin's face.

Her Justin's face.

By the time Kathryn's stunned senses had come back to life, the two men were behind her. Kathryn span around, her heart pounding, but already the two men were just a silhouette in the shadow of a fading sun.

END OF CHAPTER TEN