Chapter 3 – Patres

January 13th, 2552 - (20:20 Hours - Military Calendar)

Epsilon Eridani System, Reach

Eposz, New Alexandria

:********:

The drive back home was quiet. Erica had Mr. Mitchell's good cooking to thank for that. Chicken parmesan was Noah's favorite, hers as well, more so hers since she knew her son so well. He loved to pork out on the stuff whenever he got his hands on it, making it one of the easiest ways to put him to sleep early. However, he was dozing off a bit too soon on the ride. Keeping her eyes mostly on the road, she snuck glances at the rearview mirror. She could see him dozing off in the backseat. The smooth trumpeting of the jazz music coming from the stereo was not helping things either.

"Turn off stereo." Erica murmured.

Her car's virtual assistant was quick to the task. The jazz gave way to the muted sounds of the highway. Switching on her right turn signal, she slipped from one lane to the next, maneuvering through the nighttime traffic between her and her way out. She spotted it in her headlights. High above the reflective metal of the guardrail was an upcoming sign: 'Exit 20A'.

A gentle turn down the exit brought her back into the eastern depths of New Alexandria. Her world changed, as it did every day, from luxurious hotels to pricy apartments and high-rises. She found hers five minutes in: a 20-story apartment complex that was barely high enough to peek above the daily cloud-cover. For a building others might envy, with all its glassy walls and well-lit interior, she still had a hard time seeing it the same way. From the first day she laid eyes on it, she could never shake the feeling that the architects took their inspiration from a cereal box bent in at the center.

Erica piloted into the parking lot and slotted herself into her usual spot, well within sight of a nearby security booth. The guard inside tipped his hat to her as she got out. Reaching into the backseat, she gave Noah a light shake. He turned away.

"Noah?"

He snored.

Erica smirked. He was trying too hard. She threw on his backpack, took him up in her arms and locked the car. She headed into the lobby, up an elevator and finally onto the top-floor. The corridor was quiet as she walked down its curving length. Her door came up midway. With Noah in one arm, she used her freehand to insert the keycard. The reader gave two resistant beeps. She did it again, slower. One accepting beep later, the locks released and she shouldered her way inside.

The sweet fragrance of lavender hit her almost immediately, a nice change of pace from the gaudy perfumes and salted scents of the banquet. It was a basic two-bed apartment in its setup and a pricey setting to boot. Aside from the two walled off bedrooms and the bathroom, the kitchen, living room, washroom and all the necessities of their lives were contained in the same rectangular space. Fifty square meters of space that had served as home for the past several years. There was a small bar connected to the kitchen, although it only saw use when Duncan came to visit. Having been to the Dante Building herself, she knew she was lucky not to have to deal with the same claustrophobia that he was probably used to. Not even her employees living at the hotel got it so good. For those who couldn't afford to go anywhere else, the Csillagos éj offered special studio housing for them and their kids. An elementary school was even thrown in to make life a little easier. All her ideas really, though the Board of Directors who ultimately signed off on it would never give her that kind of credit.

She plopped Noah down on the living room couch. Slipping off his shoes unleashed a fury of odors that stung her nostrils. She pinched them shut.

Noah grinned.

"Alright Noe, wake-up. Its shower time then homework. After that you can go to bed."

His grin vanished. He groggily cracked his eyes open, groaning as he sat up. "Aww, come on. What about free time? Free time. You know, that thing you do when you're free?"

"It's too late for that. Besides, you've got the weekend to look forward to. Until then, you're on the clock."

Noah gawked. "But mom-"

"No butts, unless it's your own going in the shower, young man."

"But-, but I didn't even get to play with my friends today."

She gave him a knowing glare. "Oh? So what was it you and the boys were doing in the vents? And that reminds me, we still need to have a chat."

Noah folded his arms and puffed his cheeks defiantly. "That doesn't count."

"You know what does count? Me. By the count of five, you better be up and running to that bathroom."

Noah pouted even more, refusing to budge. "No."

"Five."

"You can't make me."

"Four."

"I'm not moving."

"Three."

"Okay, what if you just carry me there?"

Erica eyebrowed him. "Two."

He sighed explosively. Then he brightened up at some thought. "Wait. Didn't Gramps let you have free time?"

"One-...what?"

"Yeah, didn't grandpa let you do stuff when you were little? You know, stuff you wanted to do?"

Erica stopped to mull it over. She could recall the times her dad gave her 'free time'. However, what Noah coined 'free' couldn't be more different. "Why does that matter?"

"Hah, see? You go it. So why can't I?"

"That wasn't the same thing for me. Tell you what, we'll see about it if there's enough time after you wash up, do your homework and after our talk. Sounds like a deal?"

Noah shrugged. "Kinda." He got up and bolted for the bathroom with renewed energy. When the shower started, Erica realized her son's mistake and hers as well.

She went into his bedroom, picked out one of his pajamas and went back to the bathroom to wrack them next to his towel. "Here's your clothes, Noe."

"Oh, thanks."

"Now be quick. Remember, the faster you are, the more time you could have. Don't go so fast that you rush it. And don't forget-"

"My ears? Yeah, you say that all the time. No worries, mom. I got it."

"Jokes on you. I was going to say your belly button." She remembered his hair, the fact that he was in the hotel's stuffy, dust-covered vents. "Wait, I need to wash your hair too."

"Nooooo, I can do it myself this time. You taught me how so just let me do it."

She turned to the blurred shadow moving behind the shower's glass door. "You're sure you know how?"

"I'm sure, I'm sure." He insisted.

She smiled, eying the bottle of kid's shampoo at her feet. "So where is it then? The shampoo?"

"It's right-" Noah looked around. "Ugh, I'll find it. You can let me-"

He stopped as he saw the bottle dangling in front of him. Erica held it over the shower door, shaking her head. A soapy hand reached up and took it. An embarrassed "Thank you" followed.

"Mhm. Alright, Mr. Man, do your thing." She took her leave and settled on the couch. "System, give me Waypoint."

The apartment's automated service recognized her voice. The display mounted to the living room wall switched on. A moment later, the host of Waypoint's evening show, Daniel Romello, was running a segment on none other than Epsilon Eridani. She zeroed in at the mention of 'Reach'.

"The military build-up comes on the heels of the recent victory in the Daedalus system where UNSC forces managed a rare victory against a large Covenant incursion. According to documents released by the military government, UNSC High-Command or HIGHCOM has authorized the largest influx of armed forces since 2545. Press-releases indicate UNSC ground forces will bolster their presence in major industrial as well as civilian centers on Reach starting February 9th. However, martial powers are not being granted as of yet. HIGHCOM press secretaries have declined to answer when asked for comment as to the reason behind the latest decision. UEG Rep Ruth Charet has called on the organization to provide an official explanation. In her own press release, Charet called the decision 'an unjustified and even greater incursion into civilian life. One that can potentially prove more severe than the regulations on inter-system travel mandated under the Cole Protocol'.

The Cole Protocol. Erica had heard of it before, or bits and pieces about it. The term was coming up more often nowadays. At first it was spoken of whenever a news anchor was bringing up the worsening state of the outer colonies. Soon they ran out of outer colonies to talk about. Then, around the 2540s, she heard it being used increasingly when mentioning the inner colonies. She ogled the picture of the UEG Rep on Romello's segment. Charet was a sweet-looking older lady with a square jaw, short snowy hair and a pair of smart glasses. If she felt the need to mention the Cole Protocol in regards to Reach...

That same fire from earlier reignited in her stomach. She remembered she hadn't eaten dinner yet. She was just hungry. That had to be it.

"System, turn off Waypoint."

The Romello show disappeared and the display winked off. She exhaled deeper into the couch before mustering the strength to go to the kitchen. She took out a readymade ham sandwich from the fridge and tossed it into the microwave. The feeling grew sharper within her. She stopped the heating process halfway, brought the thing to her mouth and bit into it. The urge to chew never came.

After several uncertain seconds she threw the sandwich back in the fridge. When she closed it, her exhausted gaze landed on the door. A handful of pictures were magnetized to its surface, oldies from her family collection.

One was of Duncan holding her up in his arms on Nassau station. He was in his ceremonial uniform, she in a bright yellow dress that did little to hide her baby-bump. His graduation ceremony.

Another was of the two of them smiling at the camera while they bathed a two-year old Noah.

She pulled off the photo near the top of the fridge and stared. The three of them were at a starport terminal. She was hugging Duncan close. Noah, now seven, had his arms wrapped around his father's neck as he held him up. They were posing for a passerby gracious enough to help them take their last family photo together.

Noah was smiling, grinning from ear to ear.

They all were.

The fiery feeling vanished. Instead, her throat tightened. She felt herself choking up, her sight hazing. She put the picture back.

Quietness settled in around her. Suddenly, she was struck by the fact that she was the only person in the room. A profound sense of loneliness descended on her like a curtain. The silence rose to a torturous whine in her ears like a horde of angry crickets clawing their way up her throat. She shut her eyes tight.

"He's coming back."

The forcefulness of her own voice startled her. Not that she was commanding him to come back, but as though she were answering a question no one had asked. No one except her.

The shower turned off. She heard Noah dry himself off then wrestle with his pajamas. He emerged from the bathroom door a minute later, red-faced and thoroughly steamed.

"Did you-"

"Yes, I did."

"Yes what?"

"Yes mam, I washed everything properly."

She walked over and sniffed the top of his head. "Hmm, good enough." She ruffled his hair around. "You're still a rookie at it so I'll let it slide for now. Come on, let's get to work."

As they ambled towards the living room, Noah glanced at the fridge. "...You were looking at dad again, weren't you?"

Erica dragged to a stop. "What?"

"The picture at the top, its fixed wrong. I can see it from here. You always stare at them whenever you think I'm not looking."

"Oh...yeah, I was."

Noah nodded. "It's okay."

To her surprise, he took her by the hand and led her along to the couch. She was left awed at the whole situation. There was only one way he could have known that she moved the picture: he regularly stared at them as well. She was unsure whether that was a good thing or not.

Noah grabbed his bag and they plopped down onto the couch together. Putting first things first, he handed over the bottles of detergent stashed inside. She made sure to put them on the highest shelf she could find.

Whipping out his learning pad, he sat with her while they delved through his math homework. She envied him really. It was basic addition and subtraction. The problems never got harder than handling double-digits. She reminded herself as always that he was far from the complexities of adulthood, giving thanks that he was still a few years shy of the absolute social bloodbath that would be his teens. Still, he seemed to grow every second she took her eyes off him. Puberty wasn't that far off, was it? What about adulthood?

As a mother, the familiar questions scared her. She pushed them to the back of her mind for the time being and focused on showing Noah what '13' plus '27' equaled. She wondered if one day he would be the one reminding her what the answer was. Again, she refocused.

The homework's simplicity let them finish the handful of assignments in ten minutes. Faster than she expected but good regardless. Rechecking took even less time. There was a little while left before she needed to tuck him in. Enough time to talk.

The day's events played out in her head. The spilt bucket, Ms. Turner drenched, the boys in the vent. Much needed to be said. She already spoke to Daniel and Tommy's parents, all of which were her employees. The parents could straighten out their kids on their own or at least try to. It fell to Erica to deal with her own brood.

"Work's done." Noah groaned, slipping the last of tomorrow's snacks into his backpack. He laid it against the front door and turned to her expectantly. "Soooo?"

She was ready to tell him. There was still the conversation they needed to have. Yet as his eyes watched her pleadingly, she reconsidered. Her plan was to tell him he needed to choose better friends. That it would be better if he hung around boys his age that didn't get him held in NAPD custody after secretly escaping to the mall from the hotel. Then again, it wasn't like she never spoke to him about it before. This would make their fourth conversation about it. Clearly Noah needed something else to get the point across. Or maybe...

After giving it some thought, Erica turned to the display. "How about a movie?"

"A what?"

"A movie."

Noah followed her gaze. "Which one?"

Erica smirked at him. "Well, we'll figure something out. Come on."

Noah joined her in the couch.

"System, give me a list of movies we can watch. Family friendly."

The living room display reactivated. The channel switched from Waypoint to a list of kid's movies, more than a few of which she recognized. So did Noah. He immediately pointed to one.

"That one."

"You sure?"

"Yup."

"Alright."

It was his favorite. She knew because it was impossible for her not to. He watched it almost religiously on weekends; an old 2510s film about a little kid lost in the woods of the colony world of Dwarka and having to live, hunt and survive on his own. All that while being hunted by some creature in the dark. The whole idea was based on the far-flung settlements that existed on one of the farthest worlds from the core. 'Chasing David' was its name, following after that of the innocent child turned survivalist.

Noah got under her arm and snuggled in close so she could wrap a blanket around them. Once the movie started, he was more wrapped up in the scenes than he was in the blanket. He watched as David drove with his dad down a highway deep in the wilderness, as a tire popped and sent them careening into a river, as David found himself washed up on a riverbank alone. The parts where the kid shouted for his dad always made him tense. She noticed because he would latch onto her arm. But once those were done, and David began inventing tools to survive, that look of worry changed to giddy interest.

She hoped he wasn't getting any funny ideas. Whether he was or not, seeing the smile on his face again brought one to her own. If he was happy, she was happy.

As the film went on, she wondered how something like it could have ever been produced. For a story about independence and resourcefulness, it came from a time when the UNSC was cracking down on groups that preached such things in the outer colonies. The movie could very well have come from a media group with Insurrectionist sympathies just as any UNSC propaganda reel from the government.

Yet to Noah, all he saw was a kid fending for himself with a wooden spear and his own wit, trying to find his father.

Halfway through the movie, she heard snoring. She looked down. Sure enough, Noah was out, head on her shoulder.

A faint trace of his smile was still there. She would have watched all the movies in the galaxy to keep it there.

Erica laid him down on his side and gave him the full blanket. Shutting off the display, she took him up in her arms and rested him in his bed. She laughed a little as he greedily pulled the covering around himself even tighter.

She whispered "Good night" then closed the door.

:********:

The rest of the night belonged to Erica and she took it in stride. Her first step: the personal pad on her office desk. She sat down at the small wooden table in a corner of the room. She grabbed the pad on top of it, one she reserved for her calls. Switching it on, she rifled through her list of contacts until she reached Duncan's.

She bit her lip.

Her finger was hovering over it when the device vibrated and the screen changed to the ringer icon. A name appeared next to it; a name too familiar to be ignored.

Erica bit her lip even harder. Sighing, she sat amazed at how 'he' always seemed to know when she was available. She planted the pad on its stands and accepted the call.

A new image flashed onto the screen. Beige walls lined with plaques of campaign ribbons, pictures of men in uniforms and to the far left, a flagpole with the eagle and globe insignia of the UNSC. The camera was on a table set at the center of the office. Sitting on the other side of it was a man in the fatigues of an Army officer. He was armed with such stoic features that he could very well have been the inspiration for Michelangelo's King David. A marble-carved jaw jacketed with a light goatee, piercing eyes lying beneath thick eyebrows, everything hemmed beneath a fresh buzz-cut. He was a dirty blonde for the more than thirty years she had known him. Time had done little to change that. There was barely a hint of white or gray to betray his actual age.

A bronze plaque set in front of him read: 'Colonel Eric C. Jackson'. Throngs of Army personnel and lower brass probably called him by that title every day. Erica was the only one to know him by another name.

"Hey dad."

The stoicism on the man's face melted into a warm smile, one few others were privileged to see.

"Hey baby girl. It's been a hot minute since I got a call from you. Just wanted to check-in, you know, make sure everything's fine over on Reach."

Erica grinned back. "Reach or me? Which one is it?"

"You." He admitted. "UNICOM gives me enough to deal with when it comes to Reach. Let's hear about you, huh? How're things in New Alexandria?"

She raised a brow. "Me or New Alexandria, which one?"

Her dad let out a long sigh. "You, sweetheart. What, do you think I'm still on your case, missy? You made me promise not to do anything so you could handle everything yourself, remember?"

Erica drifted to a picture framed on the wall behind him. It was of a younger version of them both, an older time. She was riding her bicycle down a hilly neighborhood road, hair rushing in the wind, grinning from ear to ear. Her dad stood a way's off behind her, looking on with pride as his flesh and blood pedaled down the hill, unaware that her guide had just taken his hands off her seat.

"Yeah." She said. "I remember. I'm only making sure you remembered."

"You make it hard not to. So?"

She shrugged. "It's pretty good over here all things considered. Ooh, don't know if you caught the news but we just finished hosting the launch party for Haven Airlines at the hotel. My hotel."

He gawked at the last part in the half-exaggerated manner that only a father could. "Wow, seriously? I heard about the launch but I didn't know it was at your place. Those reviews are bound to start pouring in. Good work, kiddo. What about the Board of Directors? Are they keeping their traps shut or is Schaefer still giving you trouble?"

She gave him a suspecting glare. "Dad."

He held up a hand. "I'm not going to do anything. I'm just asking." He waved his pinkie finger. "Pinkie promise, see?"

"Where's the other hand?"

He grinned nervously as he brought it up, revealing two crossed fingers.

They burst out laughing.

"Oh, come on." He insisted. "Tell your old man what's going on, I can take it."

"Well, Schaefer's lightened up a bit. I confronted him on a few things we could try out to do better by the employees. The last thing he said to me was that he would bring it before the board."

"Hmm, that counts as a win to me. Good to hear. Anything else?"

"No clue, I bailed out before he could tell me off."

"Yeah, good thinking. Sounds like the Jackson streak is starting to kick in, you get to a certain point then start excelling faster and faster. I expect nothing less from you, miss."

"Yessir-" Erica stopped to think about it, then shook her head. She held up her finger, exposing the silver ring on it. "Actually, it's the Iris streak now."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah-yeah. Oh, on that note, how is he?"

"Who?"

"My son. How is he?"

"Oh." She thought back to Duncan's contact. "I-...actually I don't know. I was going to call him but you seem to have this magical ability to know when I'm online."

"Yes, it's called checking your status." He snickered, earning a look of mild annoyance from her. "Come on Eri, you're supposed to be better with this tech-stuff than I am."

"Right. Last I heard from him was a few weeks ago. His battalion was on their usual standby mode. Not much else really." Her thoughts wandered back to the Waypoint broadcast. "I also wanted to ask you something."

"Mhm?"

"You saw the news tonight, right? What's up with HIGHCOM? I heard they're planning to station more troops in Epsilon Eridani, mostly on Reach. You know anything about that?"

It was impossible for him not to. Her dad spent the better part of several decades in the Army, an organization whose entire operational apparatus was dedicated to planetary defense. If anyone knew what was going on, it would be him.

She watched him straighten in his chair, his characteristic look of prying curiosity dimming. "Ugh, that's a bit complicated."

She noticed the moment when a deep worry settled in his eyes. "Dad, what's wrong?"

"...Listen. Despite what you're seeing with stuff like Ballast, things aren't going so well."

"You mean recently?"

He shook his head. "Overall. The UNSC is trying to resolidify its defenses to protect its remaining assets. Reach is an important stronghold, second only to where I am. Because of that, they're taking these precautions." He looked her straight on. "Listen Eri, I don't know what all is happening or what's going to happen. But in the days ahead I'm going to need you to keep in contact with me a bit more than usual."

"...But?"

"No buts about it, miss."

She folded her arms defiantly. "I'm an adult, dad. I'm not in the UNSC, so you can't just order me around."

"You misunderstand, Eri. I'm not ordering you to do this as an Army colonel. I know you're not in the service. We agreed to disagree on that a while ago. I'm asking you as a father. I want to make sure my little girl-"

She arched a brow at him.

"My big, grown girl, is okay. Okay? I just need you to stay in contact with me more often. That's all, alright?"

She sensed there was something more being left unsaid. Still, the earnest pleading in her father's face won her over. "Fine. I'll do what I can when I'm not busy, but I'm not going to ask you for your help."

"I know." He smiled at her, yet there was a grimness behind it that she had never seen before. "I just hope you won't need it."

Though she thought it wise to ask what he really meant, the odd tension of his words made her think twice. "How's mom?"

She watched the earlier grimness lift off of him like a veil. He breathed easier. "She's fine. She's asked about you a lot. However, she's got so little time outside the ER these days that she always has to ask me to check up on you for her. One of these days I'll get her in the office so all of us can chat." He held up his pinkie. "Pinkie promise."

"The other hand?"

He held up the other, revealing another outstretched pinkie. "Double pinkie promise."

Erica stifled a laugh. His hands looked like half the rock sign without the other fingers. "Your toes?"

He chuckled. "You're not getting me to take off my boots, kiddo."

"Fine, then I won't believe you."

He sighed reluctantly. "Good lord, you're just as stubborn as your mother." He reached off-camera for his boots. "You've got those same stubborn, green eyes too that I just can't say no to."

"Wait-wait-wait." She said, stopping him. "That's okay. I don't need to see all your toe-jam. I'll take the pinkie."

"Thought so." He held out his pinkie finger.

She held out hers. They both touched their screens, pretended to wrap their pinkies together and shake hands.

"That's a promise." He said. "Whether online or in-person, I'll make sure it's kept."

"Thanks. Well, it's good to hear from you, 'colonel'."

"Hey-hey, you can the mock the man but not the rank."

"Right, of course. Anyway, I'll check in with you later this week. It's a promise from me too, okay?"

He nodded. "Agreed." Then another thought made his eyes shift from hers to the space behind her. "Hold on, I can't believe I forgot."

She looked back. "Forgot what?"

"My little trooper. How's he holding up?"

Erica winced. She too had completely forgotten. The day's events, its joys and troubles resurfaced. "Uuuggghhh. He's..."

"Stop right there. What'd he do?"

She sat stunned at and hating how well he could read her like she could him. Things like that ran in the family.

"He's...gotten himself into some trouble lately."

For a moment, her dad looked impressed. "Really? Is it more serious than getting caught by the NAPD or more low-keyed?"

"Low-keyed."

"Ah, let me guess." He pinched his chin quizzically. "Danny and...Thomas was it?"

"Daniel and Tommy, yes."

"Right. They pranked someone and it went too far."

"They doused one of the maids with cleaner fluid after mapping the ventilation system for a whole floor."

Rather than frowning disappointedly like she expected, like he would have when she was a kid, he bore a proud smirk.

"Mind explaining that? What's with the look?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Nothing except that he's getting better at it, Noah I mean. You probably didn't even notice him leave with the cleaning stuff, did you? Yup, it's the Jack-, ugh, the Iris streak kicking in."

Erica peered back at Noah's bedroom door. "Yeah, um, that's not exactly the kind of thing I want him to excel at, dad."

"I know. But he is."

"And I need him not too. I wanted to talk to him about those two so that he'd stop hanging around with them. I want him to make better friends his age that'll actually encourage him not to do this kind of stuff."

"He's got Ms. Turner and Mr. Mitchell."

"Emphasis on friends 'his age'. Besides, Ms. Turner was the one he pranked."

"Ah, that's not good. Better someone he doesn't know than someone he does."

She glared at him. He laughed it off. "Relax, Eri. He's a boy. A growing boy. That means he'll grow out of it. It's just a phase, sweetheart, alright?"

"And how would you know, sir? Might I remind you, it's not like you had a son."

"I did and hopefully still do." He corrected. "He's an ODST now."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"What I'm getting at Eri, is that the same principle applies regardless. We all grew out of things when we were younger that we thought we wouldn't. Remember now, you and Duncan grew out of being just friends, even when you kept insisting to me on other guys and I kept telling you that you were ignoring the obvious."

Erica looked away, blushing at the old memories.

"Now you've got a son that you can't admit is more like you than anyone else."

"No." She murmured. "He didn't grow up on one military base after the next, did he?"

"Point taken. He's only grown up on one. However, you don't have to do the same things I did to get a better result. Give him some time. Some of us learn not to touch fire because others tell us not to. Others learn after they've finished playing with it. So let him grow up. You can't protect him from the world forever."

"Sometimes I feel like I need to protect the world from him." She slouched a bit. "I-...I'm doing this almost entirely on my own, dad. I just-...I-…."

"What is it?"

She turned longingly to Noah's door, whispering: "I hope I'm not failing him."

"Eri? Eri, look at me."

She met his eyes again, and to her surprise there was a renewed firmness within them. "You're not alone. You've got me, your mother, my son and more people whose names I'll probably get wrong at that hotel. You don't have to go at it alone, understand?"

After a while, Erica nodded, weakly at first then with added faith. "Yeah. I got it. It takes a village, right?"

"That's right."

"...Thanks dad."

"Ahem, the rank?"

She sat straight and saluted. "Thank you, Colonel Dad."

"You're welcome, Sergeant Sweetheart."

Both their smiles returned.

"Alright, I've held you up long enough. I'll leave you to it."

"Roger."

"Tell him hi for me, will you?"

"Sure thing. And do the same to mom for me. Catch you later."

They waved goodbye before she ended the call.

Then she noticed it. Her shoulders felt lighter. Strangely, she found herself energized. Their talk was exactly what she had been needing.

Erica scrolled back down her list of contacts until she reached Duncan's. Her finger again hovered over the call button. Her nerves caught alight within her. She moved to press it. Her finger barely touched the screen before a call notification popped up. It wasn't hers. It was Duncan's. Her heart threatened to beat its way out of her chest. Someway, somehow, he managed to beat her at the last second.

She accepted the call.

Duncan appeared. He was sitting in a communications cubicle. To her relief, he was dressed in his regular fatigues, meaning he was probably on his downtime. He reflected her look of relief. "Hey babe."

Babe. Hearing him say it in real-time never ceased to make her feel warm inside. "Between you and dad, I don't know who likes to call me a baby more."

"Your dad called?"

"Yup, he asked how his son's doing."

"Oh." Duncan laughed. "He's alright, I guess. He's still alive so that's a win."

"Definitely a win."

"Actually..." Duncan leaned in. "Speaking of wins, did you hear about-"

"Ballast? Yeah, I heard. Figured you were there."

Duncan rubbed the back of his neck abashedly. "Ah. Your intuition's too spot on, you know that?"

"I do."

The two shared a laugh together, yet another feeling she would have traded the world to have every day.

"I have to say though," She huffed. "I wasn't enough of a mind-reader to know you were going to beat me to the call. Is everything okay? Usually, I'm the one trying to call you."

"I know. It's not my fault though, I swear. You know I'd ring you up every day if I could."

She did know. Still, she shrugged it off as if it were untrue. "Really? Is that so? How do I know you're not talking to someone else on the side, hmm?"

At first Duncan gawked at her, then he caught on. "Since you ask," He played along. "I have been seeing someone recently."

"Pardon me?"

"Yeah, no joke." He laid back in his chair, staring teasingly. "She's this smoking hot blonde. She's got these beautiful green eyes that you could just stare into all day, I swear. She's funny, creative, nice bod. Best of all, she recognizes a true stud when she sees one."

Erica glared at him. The lascivious grin on his part broke her charade and she returned the same look. "You're right, I guess she does."

"I wonder if she's still single though. What do you think?"

"Pardon?"

Duncan broke into laughter. "I'm joking, I'm joking. I really do mean you."

"I know." She flashed the ring on her finger. "I'd think you're out of luck though."

"Hmph. Wonder who beat me to it. He must be one lucky guy."

"He certainly is. And I'm lucky to still have him."

"Aww, thanks."

"Not you; I mean the other guy."

Again, they laughed together. Erica worried they were being too loud. She checked Noah's door and was grateful to see it still closed.

"So how're things in the city?" He asked.

She spent the next twenty-minutes catching him up on everything he missed. Noah's prank and the airline launch were headliners that most caught his interest, for better or worse. When she finished, he stayed worryingly silent.

"Honey?"

"...Sorry. I'm a bit caught up about that part with Noah."

"A bit?"

"A lot. I want to talk to him. Is he up?"

She shook her head. "Nah, sorry. I put him to bed already."

The look of worry on his face remained.

"Hey, it's okay. I can wake him up early tomorrow. I'm sure he'll be happy to-"

"Hold on. I actually wanted to ask you something." His worry ebbed. "Can you guys ship over here for a stay sometime this week? We've been on standby but the colonel came back a few days ago with orders. Deployment orders."

Erica understood what he left unsaid. Deployment orders meant restrictions on travel off-base, and eventually, a definite departure accompanied by an undefined return date. She needed to act now while there was a window of opportunity, however slim.

"Okay, no problem. I have some leftover vacation days I haven't used yet. After the success tonight, I doubt the board will bat an eye if I take a trip to Falchion. I'll have Noah bring his homework with him. We can make a flight by this weekend."

"Sounds great."

"Hey, not so fast. I'm waiting to hear what's going on over on your end, with Epsilon and everything else. Is everyone alright?"

Duncan's disposition changed. It was subtle yet so palpable that it was impossible for her to miss, the eyes darting away, the slight drooping of the shoulders.

"Honey?"

"I'll-…" He exhaled long and hard. "I'll tell you everything when you get over. Don't worry though, okay? We're fine."

"...Okay. I'll tell you when I've bought some tickets. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon."

"You know I love you, right?"

Some life returned to his frame. "I know. Love you too." He kissed two of his fingers and planted them on the screen. She did the same, their customary goodbye.

Erica ended the call. She sat there, staring at the blank screen for several long minutes. The sound of non-existent crickets slowly returned. The dregs of the conversation blocked them out.

He was lying.

She knew him too well not to recognize when he was. The familiar flames of worry flickered through her. Something had gone wrong. What was it? What was so bad that he was unwilling to tell her over the call?

Her chest tightened.

Two knocks, loud and solid, drew her worries to the front door.

She slinked out of her chair. Watching the door, she stealthily stepped towards it. She checked her watch: '11:24 PM'

She stopped at the threshold and peered through the peephole.

A man stood outside. She could tell he was wearing jeans and a dark jacket whose hood left his face shrouded in shadows. She hissed under her breath and side-stepped towards the living room cabinet. Her finger found the faintly glowing button beneath the overhang and she pressed it. Then her hand flattened out on a screen attached to the upper drawer. The device scanned her prints before confirming her identity with a muted beep. The drawer unlocked. She pulled it out and reached in. The cold metal of the M6A magnum housed inside brushed against her fingertips. She grabbed the handle. Bringing it to bear, she leaned in close to the peephole, watching the stranger while she pulled down the slide with methodical slowness. Then she let it go, chambering the first round with a loud clack.

The figure on the other side heard it. He stiffened. Looking left then right, he finally settled on the left and walked out of sight.

Erica relaxed. Her response worked this time. She wished she realized how to get him to leave sooner. Good thing he knew well enough what a real gun being cocked sounded like, all the more reason not to have answered the door.

'The stranger', as she had come to know him, was a man that loved to come knocking on her door at odd hours of the night. He had been doing so for the last month, never saying who he was or why he was there. This made his third attempt to get her to open up. The first night, she thought he was a tenant suffering from a case of mistaken rooms. The second night, she told building security and they promised to keep an eye out for him. Tonight confirmed her fears. He was showing up on purpose. Thankfully, the emergency button on her living room cabinet immediately alerted the building security to come to her door. Having a pistol on hand helped too, as well as the training needed to use it thanks to her husband.

Whoever the creep was, he didn't seem to know yet that he was in way over his head. Namely because she had few qualms about putting a hole through it if he tried anything.

She looked back to Noah's door, still closed. She stood there, pistol raised, waiting for the security to arrive. Hopefully she could tell them which way the guy went. Maybe they would reach in time to stop him for good, before he did something he wouldn't live to regret. All the while, she weighed her options. If this continued, she could always request to move into one of the penthouses at the hotel. The two of them could live there like many of the employees and their kids. Noah would love that. And if he did, and if he was safe, that would be enough for her. Until she could do that, her saving grace would be leaving for Falchion. It was about time Noah got to talk with his dad again. One of many times, she hoped.

Patres - Fathers