Hitting the Target Read online

  “Here we are—shuttle sweet shuttle.” He grinned at her. “Come on in.”

  Mia climbed the steps behind him—there were only about five of them—and watched as Trey pressed his big hand to the sleek silver side. The ship shivered—like an animal with an insect on its back—and then the metal rippled and parted like water, making a doorway big enough for both of them to go through. She stepped inside and watched with amazement as the metal reformed into a solid wall behind them.

  “That was incredible,” she breathed, looking up at Trey. “How did you do that? It was like magic!”

  He smiled. “No magic—just touch tech. My ship recognizes my touch.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “If you want, I can give it the order to recognize your touch too. That way you can get in and out whenever you want.”

  He wants me to know I’m not trapped in here, Mia thought. He wants me to feel safe with him.

  “Thank you,” she said, smiling back. “That…that would be nice.”

  “Okay—here, put your hand on the wall.” He took her hand and placed it on the place where the metal had melted and reformed. Mia half expected it would be too hot to touch but it was cool and smooth and very solid under her seeking fingertips.

  Then Trey lifted his head and addressed the ship itself—at least, that was what Mia thought he was doing. He spoke in a harsh, guttural language she didn’t recognize. It sounded distinctly alien.

  Then, to her surprise, the metal began to melt under her hand.

  “Oh!” Gasping, she pulled her hand back and watched as the doorway formed.

  “See? Now you can get out whenever you want to,” Trey told her. “Just touch the hatch there and the ship will recognize your touch signature and let you out. It will extend the steps for you automatically too/”

  “But…how do I close it again?” Mia asked, eyeing the door in the ship which was letting in the chilly night air.

  “Just wait a minute. If you don’t touch it again, it’ll close on it’s own,” Trey told her.

  Sure enough, after another second, the metal melted closed again, leaving nothing but the blank silver wall.

  “Wow,” Mia breathed. “Amazing!”

  “I’m glad you like it.” He nodded at her. “Hopefully I can make you a dinner that’s even more amazing.”

  Mia’s stomach growled when he talked about dinner and she realized she hadn’t really eaten all day. She put a hand to her midsection with embarrassment.

  “Oh, that’s sounds really good,” she said. “Can I help? I’m a pretty good cook—my Neemah taught me.”

  “I’d love to taste some of your cuisine,” Trey said. “But for tonight, I’d like you to be my guest. Come on—it won’t take long. I’ll have us eating in no time.”

  “Do you have food that cooks in a few seconds the way your medical tech heals people in a few seconds?” Mia asked, half laughing because the idea seemed silly.

  But to her surprise, the big Kindred nodded.

  “Something like that. Come on and I’ll show you.”

  He led her through the front of the shuttle—which was a kind of cockpit with a huge screen and a row of complicated looking alien instrument panels—and to the middle where there was a living area and a kitchen.

  Mia looked around, but didn’t see any kind of a stove. There was a box-like contraption mounted under some cabinets, a cold storage box, and a sink set into a tiny counter top.

  “But…where do you cook? Where are the stove coils?” she asked, looking around in bewilderment.

  “Well, what I’m doing isn’t exactly cooking,” Trey admitted. “It’s more like re-hydrating but the results aren’t too bad. I don’t think, anyway—you can judge for yourself. Now, let’s see…” He turned and opened the cabinet, surveying the contents with a critical eye.

  To Mia, it looked like the whole cabinet was filled with tiny white cubes.

  “What are all those?” she asked curiously.

  “Kindred meal cubes,” Trey said, still frowning at them. “All right—none of this food is going to be familiar to you since it’s from my home world. So tell me what kind of things you like to eat—do you avoid meat? Do you like spicy things? Sweet things?”

  He ran through a list of questions and Mia answered as best she could. After a moment, Trey nodded decisively and chose a cube from the back of the cabinet.

  “This should do, hopefully. But if you don’t like it, we can try something else.”

  He opened the door to the boxy appliance mounted under the cabinets and placed the cube inside it. Then he shut it and pressed some buttons which lit up and beeped when he touched them. After a moment the machine dinged and he opened it again.

  After seeing so many amazing things today, Mia knew she ought to stop being surprised. But she couldn’t help the little gasp that escaped her when she saw that somehow the tiny white cube had expanded into a large plate piled high with food.

  How did he do that? She knew the Kindred had advanced technology but this was so much like a magic trick she couldn’t help but stare.

  “Here we go—mondu grains and pink speckled legumes,” Trey announced. He went to the wall opposite the food prep area and touched it lightly in three places. At once, a small, oblong silver table and two sturdy silver seats grew out of the side of the ship. “Have a seat,” he told Mia and placed the plate on the table in front of her. “Go ahead and help yourself while I make a cube for me. I hope you like it.”

  “Thank you.” Mia seated herself though the stool was too high for her—clearly built for a person more Trey’s size—and her legs dangled like a child’s in an adult’s chair. But the seating arrangements didn’t bother her—she was too focused on finally getting something to eat.

  The steaming plate in front of her was piled with a mound of tiny, bright green grains dotted with slightly larger dark pink and black speckled beans. The food looked a little strange but when she bent her head and took a whiff of the steam rising off it, the scent was delicious—savory with a hint of sweet saltiness like nothing she had ever smelled before.

  Mmmm—smells amazing even if it does look weird! Her stomach growled and she decided to try some.

  The plate that the tiny cube had expanded into included a small, shovel-like implement which she assumed was a Kindred utensil. Picking it up, she took a careful bite of the alien food.

  It tasted as good as it smelled. Mia made a hungry little sound in the back of her throat and dug in. It was so delicious and she was so starved she could have polished off the plate in no time. But after the first few bites, she made herself slow down and enjoy the chewy, slightly crunchy texture and the savory-sweet flavors.

  “It appears I chose well,” Trey slid into the seat opposite hers, smiling as he placed his own plate on the table. It was piled high with multicolored chunks which also looked strange but smelled good.

  “It’s delicious,” Mia said, smiling gratefully. “Thank you so much! I…” She ducked her head shyly. “I’ve never had anyone but my Neemah cook for me before.”

  “Well, as I said, I wouldn’t call it exactly cooking but I’m glad you like the result.” Trey smiled warmly and dug into his own food. He offered some to Mia and she bravely took a nibble of one bright blue chunk. It was meaty and rich, a little like the chundra stew meat Neemah bought once a year for the Winter Solstice feast—if they could afford it.

  “Tell me about yourself,” Mia heard herself saying as they ate—not because she was supposed to spy on the big Kindred—she had almost forgotten about that. But because she was genuinely interested to learn about him. “All I know about you is what I saw in my dreams—which was just you in the city,” she told him. “But where do you come from?”

  “Well, it’s kind of a long story—I don’t want to bore you,” Trey said.

  “You listened to my long story,” Mia reminded him quietly. “I’d like to hear yours.”

  “All right. Well…” He spoke as they ate, telling of a planet where his pe