Another Chance
Chapter 13
Alexis slams her palm on the counter of the concession stand. "I can't believe you're out of Jujubes!"
The teen taking her order answers with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry. I just sold the last one. We don't keep a lot of them around 'cause not that many people want them."
Alexis sighs and nods in resignation. "All right just give me my popcorn - with extra butter."
"It's buttery flavoring," the teen corrects.
Air hisses from Alexis' lips. "Right. Of course, it would be."
As she's turning away with her oversized tub, she hears a tentative voice behind her. "You can share mine, the Jujubes, I mean, if you want to watch together. The box is too big for one person anyway. I'm Micah"
"Alexis, and sure, that would be nice."
The previews are still playing when the couple finds their seats. "Have you seen 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' before?" Micah inquires, shaking Jujubes into Alexis' palm.
"Mm, I used to come here with my dad a lot, before I started college. I think I've seen it at least three times, but the message is as relevant as ever, maybe more. Sometimes it seems like it might not be such a bad idea to have a force of robot police to make sure we didn't all kill each other."
Micah smiles wryly. "I'm still hoping that we humans learn how to control that kind of behavior on our own, or maybe with a different kind of help from above. According to what I've read, the movie is trying to get that idea across without beating the audience over the head with it. That's why Klaatu calls himself 'Carpenter,' and is resurrected from the dead to give his final message before leaving the Earth. The film is a Jesus story, reasonably well disguised, but a Jesus story. There's even a Madonna of sorts, Helen Benson and her son Bobby. Her boyfriend is Judas Iscariot, and the U.S. Army are the Romans. I think maybe Professor Barnhardt could be Nicodemus, but the parallel isn't nearly as straightforward. More likely, Einstein was such a popular figure at the time that Sam Jaffe, especially with that hair, was a stand-in for him."
After the pop mysticism that surrounded Pi like an aura, Alexis finds the depth of Micah's analysis of the movie downright refreshing. He's not a bad looking guy either, although he isn't as handsome as her dad. That would be a pretty high standard that she's never required the boys she's dated to meet. Micah's brown eyes are warm, with an openness that invites discussion, and despite his obvious enjoyment of empty calories, there isn't a spare ounce on his tall frame. The previews end and the final admonition to turn off cell phones goes up on the screen before the movie starts.
Castle has read through the manual for the operation of the drone three times and taken it for a practice flight in a nearby park. The hum was barely audible against the noise of passing cars. He's hoping that it won't be perceptible at all, from the M. Swinson apartment. He and Kate are as ready as they'll ever be to execute the plan.
He places the drone in an alley leading to the locked gate that closes off the air shaft and retreats to the car to operate the controls and monitor the view from the camera on his tablet while Kate keeps track of the comings and goings in the surrounding area. She also has a police scanner to give them a heads up if anyone decides to report the hovering spy to the authorities. Theoretically, she's not sure they're violating the law. They're not breaking or entering anything, and she doesn't believe owners of the building control the airspace around it. Still, since the days of Lady Godiva, peeping toms have been frowned upon.
Castle slowly propels the drone into flight, carefully examining the images he receives and counting windows until he's sure the drone is hovering outside the right one. He wishes he had sound as well as video, but he wouldn't pick up much through the closed window anyway. At least it isn't blocked by curtains. He holds his breath as a figure too short to be Larkin and too slender to be Marnie comes into frame, apparently being ushered to sit at the kitchen table. He can't tell for sure if it's Merri; he only has a side view, but the hair color and general form seem to fit the missing girl. A hand smacks down something in front of her. From the color of the wrapper, it could be an Alley Annie's energy bar.
"Come on." Castle mutters, "turn toward the camera, just for a second." The girl quickly peels the covering from the snack and brushes the hair from her face, giving Castle a brief three-quarter view. He captures the image before she turns away again, and starts the program which will compare it with a photo they have of Merri. Castle holds his breath as the bar on his screen indicates its progress. It's a match with a 95 percent level of confidence. "Kate, we found her!"
Kate swivels to look at Castle's tablet. "That should be enough to take straight to the head of the commissioner's task force. Send it to your phone, mine, and any other place you can think of. We can't take a chance of losing it before SWAT can organize a rescue. And get the drone back. Tech might want to check its memory for tactical info and to confirm that we really did get a picture of Merri. The force has been deluged with bad tips. We have to make sure we can prove this one is real.
Helen Benson is backing away from Gort, repeating the words that Klaatu taught her, when Micah feels Alexis reach for his hand. It's what he was hoping would happen. Her fingers are soft but surprisingly strong. From the small callouses on the tips, he guesses that she plays an instrument, no doubt in a way that weaves a spell of enchantment.
He'd been enchanted from the moment he saw her, blue eyes set off by the startling fire of her hair, the shade of which could never come out of a bottle. And she likes Jujubes, his favorite candy since he was four. Obviously, she enjoys sci-fi movies too, or she wouldn't have come. Maybe during Klaatu's final warning to the world, she might even put her head on his shoulder. It's not like they're on a date. All he did was share his candy with her. But he feels like they have a bond that he's never felt with any of the girls he actually has dated. Most of them listened to his treatises about the stories behind films politely, but he could see the boredom and occasional impatience in their eyes. Alexis seemed genuinely interested.
He's wondering just what else interests her. Maybe if he's lucky, he can find out over a hamburger, or on a walk. After the candy and the popcorn, she might not be hungry. He just doesn't want to say goodbye after the final credits roll. He doesn't think he could handle it if she walks away and he never sees her again. He doesn't even know her last name, but he's praying he'll get the chance to find out.