Read The Second Wave for Free Online Page A

knowing full well that Peter wasn’t the least bit
interested.
    “Yes. Magnificent, wasn’t it? Quite, quite
extraordinary. The readings were off all charts!”
    “ Peter, not the storm. The ticket got
activated. You know—second wave and everything. Are you already
packing?”
    Evaporating as quickly as it had overtaken
him, Peter’s enthusiasm imploded. Yes, he owned a ticket to the
second wave program; not because his sister was working at the HQ
in Rome, but because he was the best geologist in this world who
used to be married to the best botanist in this world. They both
got tickets, and the idea of living in a whole new world had
thrilled them to no end. But that was before.
    He told Sally that he wasn’t going anywhere.
When she was finished calling him names, words he didn’t even know
the definition of, probably protector slang, she forced herself to
calm down. “Peter, listen to me. Please come! I know you’re
still hurting, but a change of scenery will do you worlds of good.
You were so much looking forward to it! And I’ll be there, too.
It’ll be nice.”
    “I don’t have his ticket anymore.”
    This time, Sally was too surprised to
verbally abuse her brother any more. Initially, in a moment of
desperation right after the funeral, Peter had been toying with the
thought of giving both tickets away. The man he ended up giving it
to was a colleague who said he desperately needed it for its parts.
Tickets for the new colonization program were a hot commodity; even
though selling and owning them was a dangerous task, seeing that
they were individualized and would have to be reprogrammed by
someone with amazing skills. Peter knew that; he wouldn’t endanger
the program by giving the electronic pass away so someone could
hack into it. But the professor told Peter he didn’t want it for
anything illegal, he only needed some minuscule gadget from the
inside to serve as ersatz, so he could save his computer from dying
on him with all the accumulated data. Since Peter knew how that
felt, and since he wouldn’t be needing the second ticket anyway, he
gave it to him. Ailing computers were what made Peter strictly use
paper for all his research these days.
    But Sally didn’t want to hear any of it. “You
could have just given it back and have a substitute ticket made out
for Luke at least!”
    “Luke has his own ticket.” They were allowed
to take staff with them. Whoever and whatever they needed to man
and run a geo station and a bio lab. So they signed Luke up, who
was now, Peter mused, probably the best botanist in this world.
    “Good. It means I at least have an ally. You
will come to Alternearth, Peter, if I have to drag you there
myself. You need to get away from Ryde, from all the memories and
the horror. You had better start packing, big brother, because I’m
coming to get you.”
    The telephone line clicked to indicate that
Sally had hung up, which was just as well, because Peter was not
going anywhere and he didn’t want to discuss it with his
hot-headed, stubborn, persuasive sister.
    So when Luke came back a few minutes later,
offered him tea and casually asked how Peter was coming along with
the readings, he replied, “No can do, my boy, I have a bit of
packing to do.”
    “Oh? Where are you going, then? Out to take
new rock samples?”
    “I’ve decided, purely on my own accord, mind
you, not that it’s any of your business anyway, to go to
Alternearth after all.”
    “Nice. So we’ll go together! What changed
your mind?”
    “Nothing in particular. Certainly not a
telephone conversation with my sister, who threatened to come and
drag me there herself, no doubt enjoying the prospect of physically
forcing me to do as she pleases.”
    Luke laughed, “Just for that I love her. She
is right, though. I mean,” he held up his hands in the universal
gesture of innocence, “if she had called, and if that had changed
your decision, I’d be happy for you.”
    “I know. In my heart I know.