Chapter Twenty-Three:

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Kat watched as the hatch opened up to a dozen armed men and women. She had expected this, having seen it from the outside. She knew at this moment hundreds of people were watching the Monster Hunter unload his monsters and they’ll be watching her too.

It was different when those guns were pointed in her direction.

Dommik stood beside her with his hand on her back. A man in a black suit approached them with Mia by his side. A triumphant look on her face.

“Dommik,” the man nodded. “Katalina.” He took her hand and shook it. “It’s nice to finally meet you, although the circumstances could be better. My name is Mason.”

His hand was sweaty in her palm. “Nice to meet you too, Mason.” She wanted to wipe her hands over her pants but couldn’t without being rude. She turned to Mia who graced her with an irritated glance, tablet in her face. Mia led her off the ship, bag in hand.

Dommik left her side as he turned to the off-boarding of the animals and plants; ground vehicles backed up to transport them to the port’s quarantine facility.

Mia grumbled and waved her screen. “If I knew you were this easy to get rid of, I wouldn’t have put so much effort in sending you to the Trentians.” She turned and walked toward an aircraft, ushering her along. “We can finally put someone appropriate in the job. You have no idea how much more difficult you made things for me.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Kat smiled and took shotgun, her bag on her lap. They drove through the landing zone and into a concrete tunnel. She twisted the key-chip between her fingers.

“There’s nothing nice about this. Not only do I have to file all of your closing paperwork, I have to give you a fucking exit interview and for what? A month of mediocre work? Waste of my goddamned time.”

Kat shrugged, “Make something up. I’ll be out of your hair faster.”

Mia humphed as the vehicle came to a stop. “Fine. Get out and go through that door,” she pointed to a glass chamber where a series of guards stood by. “And fill these out.” Mia handed her thumb drive. “When you’re done hand it to Carl inside. Have a nice life, civilian.”

Kat got out just in time for the craft to speed away. She entered the chamber and sat down as the computer scanned her body for pathogens and any other volatile things she may have picked up.

Dommik had run them down prior to his ship entering Earth’s atmosphere. This second quarantine was to prevent the EPED to be liable for anything in between. Her foot tapped as the minutes passed.

“You’re pregnant!” A man called out from the other side.

“I know,” she yelled back.

“You get knocked up in space? Is that why you quit?”

Her foot tapped faster. “Yeah!”

“Sorry to hear that. You can come through now.” The second door opened to a man on the other side, a set of earbuds dangled from his ears. The music was loud enough she could hear from across the room. New-age rap.

“Carl?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’s me. I’ll set you up over here.”

Kat stretched her fingers and filled out the forms. She handed the drive over. “Done.”

“Is it an alien’s?”

“Is what an alien?”

“Your baby, is it a half-breed?”

She ignored him. “Where’s the exit?”

“Fine. Fine, I have a big mouth. Go through that door and up the elevator to get to the port’s entryway.”

Kat had a job to do and only a short amount of time to do it. The second the elevator closed, her body twitched with excitement. The first thing she saw when it opened was the giant sign.

Welcome to space, it said. Welcome to the gate to Hell, it meant. Let’s explore!

Yes. Yes. Yes!

Her eyes left it to land on the tea stand where her feet jogged too. A middle-aged man stood behind the counter, his eyes glazed with boredom as he wiped the same section of the counter over and over.

“Hi! John, right?” Kat couldn’t contain her excitement. The man turned to her slowly while still wiping.

“Like it says on my name-tag. What tea would you like today?” His boredom was apparent.

Kat blushed, “Oh right, yes. Is your boss here? The woman with the scarves?”

He cocked his head and yelled making her flinch, “Marcy, you have a visitor!”

A series of noises sounded after, flustering words, and fallen boxes only to reveal a round woman draped in colors, patting off imaginary dust.

“Hello deary, what can I do for you? Well, you look familiar, are you one of Linda’s girls? No, can’t be, they’re all blond. What has John done to upset you? I must say, he’s a hard-worker but straight to the point. No upselling or razzle dazzle from him.” Marcy shot him a look that could kill. “But a great worker nonetheless. How can I help you?”

Kat opened her mouth to speak–

“I remember you now! You’re that girl. Two months ago, isn’t it? Katie, Cassie, Kat! Kat, oh dear. Have you returned for the job?”

“No,” she responded quickly.

“That’s a shame. You see, my knees aren’t what they used to be and John here, well, he doesn’t sell much tea. Great man that he is.”

Their faces opened up with surprise, startled and brilliant as they looked behind her. Heavy footsteps sounded. Her Cyborg’s steps.

“We want to offer you a job, both of you,” A hard, metalloid voice said. Kat’s smile became a grin which became a happy laugh. Dommik stepped up next to her.

“Yes! Will you come work for us?”

Marcy’s eyes went wide as she blatantly checked out the Cyborg twice over. Dommik straightened for her perusal.

“A job you say?”

“I need help on my ship. I could use two assistants and Kat here highly recommends you. You’ll be paid handsomely.” He reached down and took Marcy’s hand, kissing the back of it.

John stepped forward. “You’re that Cyborg, that Monster Hunter. We’re not monster hunters, how can two tea merchants be of any use to you? What’re you playing at?”

He was swatted away by scarves. “Oh dear, don’t mind him! He meant no offense. Tell us about the job.”

Kat looked around, noticing that they had a crowd, all staring at Dommik, all watching them. She took hold of his hand and gripped it. Mine.

He’s mine.

“I need help with the reporting, general maintenance, animal care, the works. You’ll get to see the universe and many of its habitable and even inhabitable planets, free of charge, and the creatures that exist on them.”

“What about aliens? Trentians. Will we get to see Trentians?” Marcy questioned.

“Possibly. Maybe.”

Marcy looked ready to swoon with excitement. “In. I’m in. Let’s do this. I want to find my alien suitor. Come on, John, let’s pack our things.”

Kat laughed as the woman began to close down the shop before her words left her.

“You don’t have an alien suitor.” Earning him a slap of a scarf. “But what about the Tea stand? We can’t just leave. We have shipments on the way, customers with orders, bills we have to pay.”

“We’ll buy it, everything, and it will be here when you come back. If you want to come back,” Dommik interjected.

Kat placed her bag on the counter and handed it over, all of the money she had left from her grandmother. She couldn’t stop laughing as Marcy and John blundered and packed, being hit over their heads with an adventure on the horizon.

“Mia’s going to be so pissed.” Her third-part spider, third-part Cyborg, and third-part man wrapped her up into his embrace. They shared a grin.

She turned into Dommik’s arms and kissed him with everything she had to give.