CHAPTER 3 – COFFEE AND EGGS

"All passengers awaiting Transporter Flight S5E1, the lift-off time is now scheduled for thirteen hundred hours. We apologize for any delay and will board you as soon as practical."

The clear voice came over the intercom system causing dozens of people sitting in the waiting room's plastic chairs to look up from what they were doing and glance at their watches or the clock on the wall.

Elizabeth sighed. Might as well grab a cup of coffee and a bite to eat.

The small café in the terminal was crowded but Elizabeth, carrying a tray of purchased food, spotted an empty seat at a table against the side wall. The other chair at the table was occupied by her future roommate, who was talking to someone on his communicator.

We've already introduced ourselves. We might as well get the other hard part out of the way, she thought as she straightened her shoulders, held her head up high, and approached him.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked with a friendly smile.

Jack looked up and stared at her. Then he wondered what he had done to be punished so much. First the transfer of orders, then her books in his duffel bag, and now this. She was like a little annoying kitten. Cute but a pest.

He waved his hand towards the empty seat. She took it as an invitation to sit.

While Jack went back to talking to the person on his communicator, Elizabeth took a sip of her warm coffee and stared at her croissant. This might be the last time for the next two years where she had a decent French pastry. She took a bite and savored the chocolate filling as she tried not to eavesdrop on his conversation.

"I think we should just go ahead and say it like it is. Get it out in the open. Clear the air", Elizabeth said after she had unsuccessfully waited for Jack to speak to her. He had finished his conversation on the communicator two minutes ago and still hadn't said a word to her. "You know, address it head on."

Jack set down his coffee cup and looked her in the eyes. "Yes?"

"I know that you know that I'm the reason that you're here", she began confidently. "We're both adults and professionals."

As a silent Jack continued to simply stare at her with eyes which she surprisingly found incredible, Elizabeth's mind took a detour and she suddenly and unexpectedly wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

Stop! That has nothing to do with anything! Forget what Julie said about me and this guy populating the colony! she told herself before she started to speak again, but with a bit less confidence.

"I know that my father arranged to have someone sent to Coal Valley because I am moving there."

"And yet you let him do it anyway", Jack interrupted before she could say more.

Elizabeth looked startled by Jack's curt response.

"I don't have any control over my father's actions", she said in her defense.

"Apparently neither do I because my job was in jeopardy if I didn't take this assignment as he requested", he replied harshly.

"I think you're exaggerating slightly."

"I wasn't aware that you could think for yourself."

"How dare you?!" Elizabeth sputtered.

"Let's see. My life has been turned upside down because of you. So, yes, I dare." His eyes were cold as he looked at her.

Elizabeth glared back at him. "I highly doubt that any other assignment would have automatically gotten you promoted to Supreme Protector of the Galaxy. Or maybe you wanted to be Ultimate Defender of Planet Earth."

Elizabeth had no idea if such jobs existed but she couldn't think of a better response to this man's arrogance.

Jack sighed. "Look, I was looking forward to my assignment on Mock Earth. This change has been somewhat of a blow to me. But from the little I've seen of you, I have no idea why you are even going to this planet."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?!"

"You overpacked. You brought a ski jacket. You don't seem to have any idea what you're getting yourself into. You obviously come from money and privilege. So maybe this was just some kind of – I don't know – maybe a whim?" he suggested.

"This is not a whim. I worked out for weeks to get in shape and pass the physical endurance test. I took the mental examination. I –"

"Did you pass? The mental exam?" he asked curiously as he interrupted her.

"Of course I passed!"

'Oh, well that's good", he said pensively before returning his attention to his communicator.

Elizabeth now found herself getting angrier at this man across the table from her who was busy pushing the buttons on his device and treating her with absolute disdain.

"This is not a whim!" she exclaimed and then continued as her voice became more and more shrill. "I passed the physical test! I passed the mental test! I passed the security clearance! I sold my car! I said goodbye to my family and friends! I had my eggs frozen!"

"Excuse me?" Jack asked as he looked up from his communicator to stare at her. The corners of his mouth turned up in a smile as he noticed Elizabeth's cheeks beginning to turn pink.

Darn, I wish that I hadn't said that last part. "I had my eggs frozen", she repeated a little more quietly. Now that she had already yelled it, she couldn't take it back.

"I assume you aren't talking about eggs normally kept in the refrigerator because I don't think they freeze well. And you can always buy more of those when you return in two years. Earth is not planning on running out of hens while we're gone."

Elizabeth glared at him. "You know perfectly well that's not what I'm talking about", she hissed.

Jack picked up his cup of coffee and took another sip before replying.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. We just met", he said with a straight face, but she swore there was a twinkle in his eyes. "Please elaborate. About your frozen eggs. Is that kind of like dyeing eggs for Easter? Because I've always enjoyed that."

"Hush. I had them frozen, not colored", she angrily replied as she shoved a bite of croissant into her mouth.

"Is that why you had a ski jacket? Because you're into cold things? Snow. Ice. Freezing temperatures. Because if you'd like, I'll go order you an iced latte instead of that hot coffee you're drinking."

Elizabeth's lips tightened in a scowl as she stared across the table at the self-assured man who was now clearly finding humor in this conversation.

Elizabeth continued to scowl as she remembered last week's appointment in the doctor's office. The nurse had automatically assumed that Elizabeth couldn't keep a man, or was too occupied with a high-powered job, or was too selfish to have a child at this stage in her life. She had hinted that Elizabeth was probably too busy between boardroom mergers or corporate take-overs to find the elusive Mr. Right, and instead, had squeezed in time during a lunch break to freeze her eggs until it was "more convenient" to have a child. When Elizabeth had politely explained that she was a teacher and wasn't "giving up" on having a husband, but was going to another planet, the nurse had given her a pitiful look. "If you say so dear", the nurse had said simply while Elizabeth, clad in a paper gown, had put her feet up in the set of stirrups. "Really, I'm getting out of this world," Elizabeth had declared to the unbelieving woman. "I'm sure it feels that way, dear. But having children is part of this world. The corporate world isn't all it's cracked up to be", the nurse had said as she jabbed a cold metal surgical instrument into Elizabeth. "I don't have a choice! It's a requirement", Elizabeth had argued with the nurse who had responded, "I'm sure that you'll find someone one day, dear. Perhaps if you weren't such the angry type."

Elizabeth shook the image from her mind and tried to calmly speak to the man across the table.

"All women of child-bearing age are required to freeze some eggs before they are allowed to move to a remote space location for an extended period of time. Scientists still aren't sure of all the adverse health effects of spending two years in space. There's radiation and different oxygen levels. Different minerals. All sorts of possible contaminates", Elizabeth now responded to Jack. "It's just a safety precaution. "

"Ahh, those types of eggs", Jack said as if he were just now understanding. "You're planning on having kids one day with your .. ." Jack paused for a split second, "boyfriend?"

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"Imagine that."

"You don't have to be so snarky."

"Your father couldn't find you one?"

Elizabeth glared at him "I'll have a husband one day. One that I choose. And yes, I plan on having children one day."

"Mankind thanks you for your contribution to an already crowded Earth", he said dryly.

Elizabeth knew that behind his calm demeanor, he was laughing at her.

"Oh, hush. I was just coming over here to be polite and make conversation."

"And it has proven to be a most interesting conversation." He leaned back in his chair and smiled at her. "So, you're leaving your healthy eggs behind on Earth."

"Just some of them. For goodness sakes, I have plenty more. And I'll probably never even need those I froze. I'm sure I'll be perfectly healthy when I return home. Can we stop talking about it?"

"So, you're leaving some of your healthy eggs behind on Earth and taking your brittle old books with you."

"Actually, you're taking my brittle old books with you", Elizabeth reminded him with a forced smile plastered on her face. "Please make sure you don't damage them. I assume that you're somewhat of a decent law enforcement officer and can manage to protect some simple books."

She stood up from the table before he could reply. "And just in case you are wondering, I managed to get my luggage down to twenty-five pounds, so I'll be getting on that transporter."

Without another word, she walked away from the table. Leaving a bewildered Jack to watch her stroll down the terminal and wonder why he was starting to find her absolutely fascinating.

He took a sip of coffee and then shook a crazy image from his mind. The picture of her pregnant with his child was ludicrous.

Up next: Chapter 4 Lift-Off