Where the Water Meets the Sky


    Chapter 1


    The faded greyhound bus pulled up to the station and let out a depressing hiss. The Texas sun in August was brutal. It seemed to superheat the sand before the wind flung it into your face. My Mom and Dad stood there crying, tears of joy. I, their only child, was leaving for college. Amelia Valentina Flowers. Their “little Valentine,” is what they called me. I stood clutching a pot containing my Venus flytrap in one hand, and a busted old suitcase in the other.


    My parents were farmers, they were tough. But today their emotions broke through. Farming was hard work, and they had hoped for a strong-bodied son to help carry the legacy on. They got me instead, and now I am leaving.


    “Be sure to call us as soon as you make it,” mother said.


    “I will Mom, I’ll be fine,” I said.


    Father squinted at me under the brim of his tan cowboy hat. “You take care of yourself; you are a woman now. We expect you to make good grades, and make us proud,” he said.


    I nodded, trying to keep my composure. Don’t cry! Don’t cry! I just need to make it onto the bus! Mother and Father both reached out to give me one last hug, before I heard the last call for the Lubbock. I headed for the front of the bus, climbed up and found an open seat inside. The air conditioning didn’t do much to stifle the heat, or the smell of vagrants. I waved at my parents, as the bus departed the station. After they were out of sight tears started streaming down my face.


    #


    I woke up to my alarm beeping. The sleep cycles in orbit were terrible, but necessary. I was finally getting over the motion sickness, but I still hadn’t mastered sleeping among the stars. I got out of my bunk and headed for the latrine. As the lone resident of the station, I prided myself on my work above all things. I kept to a routine here on the Samir One botany lab, you had to while orbiting the Earth. After a quick wash, I donned my overalls eyeing the embroidered mission patch on the shoulders. It showcased a field of stars surrounding my favorite plant, the Venus fly trap. The missions motto, “to breathe life” was emblazoned on the bottom. I was dressed for my day, and there was plenty of work waiting for me. I made my way towards the Botany lab and greenhouse.


    Each morning In the lab started with an audio wrap up of the previous day, and the addition of any lab notes. “Station Log Day 27. This is Dr. Amelia Flowers aboard Samir One botanical lab. The Gyro Pots show marked improvement of sprout deformation among various species. Recommend we sync with the stations telemetry more often.”


    The squelch of the radio interrupted my recording log. “Ground Station to Samir, over.”


    What is their problem today? And right in the middle of my morning brief.


    “Samir, come in!” said Ground Station.


    “Ground Station, this is Semir One. Reading you loud and clear,” I said.


    “Samir One, be advised you have an unidentified ship on intercept course with your lab. We recommend activating lockdown procedures. Do you copy?” said Ground Station.


    “Do I really need to go into full lockdown over a wayward ship?” I asked.


    “Affirmative, Samir. We have no contact with that ship. Advise breaking orbit for track R244 or activate emergency lockdown until a security shuttle arrives.” said Ground Station.


    If I adjust the station’s orbit to avoid collision, all my data so far will be worthless. I have absolutely no intention of deviating orbit, no matter what was out there.


    “Ground Station, we have reserved this orbit track for research purposes and cannot deviate. Please redirect the other party,” I said.


    A pilot in orbit might have just got confused or had corrupted navigation data. It is weird they aren’t responding to radio callouts. Maybe the crew are still frozen in cryo-sleep. The important thing was to prevent any contamination of the lab. Boarders could potentially bring bacteria, or microbes that could harm her plants. I began running scans attempting to pick up the ship and any lifeforms aboard.


    Scanners aren’t picking up an identification tag. I’ll lock the station down just to be safe.


    I immediately started punching in commands to the labs main onboard computer. It began to seal docking bays with additional covers. The emergency protocol activated a ten-minute countdown until all internal doors and hatches were individually sealed. Lastly, the station would go into a low power mode and migrate the onboard computers’ core functions to a closed emergency network. This would make it virtually impossible for someone to hack into the network from the outside.


    After initiating lockdown procedures, I headed for my flight suit. It was thinner than most space suits, and the gloves had way better dexterity than most on the market. Still, I hated being stuck in that thing for hours. I opened my locker and began unzipping my flight suit. I continued opening compartments, and loosening straps before sliding inside. I grabbed my helmet off the shelf and pulled it down into the collar, sliding it to the right where it locked. A satisfying hiss was heard, as the pressurized suit became airtight. I ran a quick diagnostic check and was satisfied with the gauge readouts.


    I headed for my lockdown location aboard the escape pod. Passing by the greenhouse, I stopped to give my plants one last inspection. If your growth cycle gets messed up by some wayward shuttle, I will personally see to it that I have their piloting credentials revoked!


    “Ground station, any contact with the ship yet?” I asked.


    The radio operator reluctantly rejoined the line in a hushed tone, “Negative, Samir. All we know is that the scanners pinged the ship from a deep space track,” said Ground Station.


    I searched from a space side port window and spotted the mysterious ship. What are you up to? Before I sealed up the greenhouse, I gave the auto hydrators one last inspection. The plants would be fine for the next 24hrs without me, and they had plenty of hydration, oxygen, and artificial lighting to stay healthy. Whatever corporation owned that ship is going to hear an earful from me after this!


    The station’s interior time locks were set to activate soon. I checked my wrist module. Two minutes and forty-five seconds until complete lockdown. The station would remain impossible to travel through even for me. I would be secured in the re-entry pod with nothing but emergency supplies and equipment. And I had decided to bring along some company.


    I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but I decided to bring one plant with me just in case I had to evacuate. It was an easy choice; I headed straight for the Venus flytrap. I opened a temporary travel enclosure and placed it inside before leaving the greenhouse.


    Almost out of time, I moved quickly through the living quarters of the station. With about forty-five seconds to spare, I made it into the escape pod. It was a tight fit, but I found a ledge to rest the plant on. Time to notify Ground Station that I was set in lockdown mode.


    “Ground Station, this is Semir One,” I said. The station went dark, as the ship docked with the lab. The emergency generators kicked on and then quieted to a stop.


    “Hello? Ground Station, do you copy?” I asked. All I could hear was static on the headset. I had found myself floating in the dark, with a mysterious ship outside.


    Chapter 2


    I never recalled being afraid of the dark as a little girl. My father often took me camping in the woods when I was young. He pointed out the animals shuffling about, and I described various flora to him. I could hear creatures out there roaming at night as I sat by the fire, but my father kept me at ease. He told me those animals I heard were afraid of me, so I had no reason to fear them.


    Being in the woods at night was one thing, but being aboard this station gave me an uneasy feeling. My rapid breathing was all that filled my ears, and it was increasing in anticipation.


    What was aboard that ship? Was it alien? What horrific being full of tentacles, and fangs would crawl out to get me? The gravity simulators had shut off, and the battery powered emergency lights gave off barely enough light to see. I kept bobbing around the escape pod, bumping into various emergency supplies.


    It might be time to hit that eject button. But then I’d miss out on a chance to give the boarding party a piece of my mind. And more importantly, my research might be lost forever.


    A data pad next to the door lit up, catching my attention. Whoever, or whatever was aboard that ship seemed to have accessed the station''s computer network. A strange set of symbols streamed across the terminal screen. Some sort of language I had never seen before, until the next set of characters flashed on screen. “Assemble at the loading bay,” displayed on the screen. I was upset by the overall situation, but relieved to finally have somebody communicating with me.


    I was desperate to find out what all of this was about. Someone was out there! It could just be a wayward ship from a deep space colony. They probably needed my help, they could have been out there for months, even years.


    In quick succession, the power kicked back on. The gravitational simulators pulled me down to the floor with a metallic thud. I could see the time seal deactivate, and the door opened. The hallway corridor lights expelled a welcoming glow.


    “Ground station, boarders have hailed me,” I said, “Should I make contact?” I tried desperately to raise Ground Station, and even the orbital emergency channel with no success. Why would the boarders jam our communications?


    Screw it. I’m going to go down there and give them an earful! I had important work to do, and they were wasting my time. I stormed across the station toward the loading dock, passing back through the living quarters.


    As I made my way across the ship, I kept my suit sealed just as a precaution. The boarding party had wasted no time gaining access to the station''s computer. This meant that they were in control of all the life support systems as well. How did they pull that off? They even got into the closed network somehow to transfer it back into the stations mainframe. They could kill the whole greenhouse onboard if they kept messing with the power. Or me. The realization sent a shudder down my spine.


    I reached the door to the science lab, and didn’t see anyone inside thankfully. I didn’t like the idea of them touching my equipment or even breathing in here. As a scientist, this was my temple. I moved through the lab to the door on the back end, it led to the docking bay. My hand reached for the terminal to unlock the door; the screen flashed an animation of a red flower in a ceramic pot. It stayed hanging on the screen for a few seconds and then vanished. A text message displayed, “Welcome.”


    The door opened to the docking bay, and I stepped inside. The bay door was still closed to the docked ship. I was eager to meet these mysterious travelers who had caused quite a panic.


    No horrific brain sucking alien reptiles, no evil robots. Not yet anyway.


    A text popped up in my helmet visor.


    “I require your assistance.”


    “You can come out now. I don’t bite,” I said, “And why the text? Cat got your tongue?” The station was rigged with microphones and cameras. I assumed if they were monitoring my computer systems, they were monitoring those as well.


    “I am Dr. Amelia Flowers, lead scientist studying non-terrestrial and orbital botany aboard this lab,” I said. “Why are you here? Where did you guys come from?” I asked, “Ground Station said they picked you up off a deep space track.”


    “Dr. Flowers,” another text read.


    “That’s me,” I said, “And who might you be?” I was getting agitated with the games, but I was more curious than anything.


    “I am here to catalog.”


    I assumed someone was playing an elaborate prank on me.


    “Alright, very funny. Ground station, are you pulling some sort of gag on me? Come on out the games over.” I checked the radio frequencies in my visor; they were static. My signal wasn’t broadcasting outbound either.


    “You are a complex life form capable of technology.”


    “Our station is high-tech, yes. How about you go ahead and open that door. You aren’t fooling anyone.” I chuckled a bit, “If you don''t tell me who you are, I''ll have to pick a name for you.”


    “You are being evaluated on threat level”


    Dr. Flowers stood with her arms crossed, “You won’t let me see you. You won’t tell me your name. I’ve wasted enough time. I’m going back to work.” It had only been about twenty minutes, and I was ready to get out of this suit, and into my pajamas.


    “You are capable of processing synchronization with carbon-based life forms.


    Retrieve the container.”


    I was over the joke, the prank. Whatever it was. “I’m a scientist if that’s what you mean. And what container?” I asked.


    The door sealing off the ship from the station began to open. I stopped and sighed, surely someone was having fun watching me get upset. I assumed I would see the rest of the Semir scientific team, and my lab mates from back home. They were likely on a surprise trip to check in and bring me some fresh baked goods. As the door locked into place, I drew my highly intellectual mind into a blank.


    Beyond the door lay a small single compartment ship of some kind. No seats, no computer modules, and more importantly no passengers. There were no tentacles, or reptilians in spacesuits. No little green men, or robots awaiting to zap my brain. Just one small, seemingly empty ship. As my eyes adjusted, I saw grayish walls with blue lights strobing along them. It was as if the interior of the craft was pulsating through exposed circuit boards, and wiring. It wasn’t half haphazardly thrown together either, there were parallel lines of cabling pacing each other down the length of the ship. The ceiling also followed this pattern, leaving only the floor to stand out from the other confines of the ship. While it maintained the continuous circuit-like pattern of the other surfaces, it appeared to have a gantry-like walkway placed over it. In the middle of the walkway sat a silver metallic-looking canister.


    I walked cautiously aboard the ship, craning my neck to take in all the intricate features of the around the interior. I held up my wrist and activated the touchscreen module. With my fingers tapping away, I used my suits systems to scan the environment for any biohazards. It pinged an “unknown metal” in the precise location the cannister sat. I crouched down to inspect the canister at a distance. The suits scanners detected no environmental threats, or life forms.


    Okay, pick up the mysterious coffee thermos. Got it.


    I picked it up with both hands, flipping it around. It appeared to split in the middle like a pill but bore no identifying markings or labeling


    “I see you brought me something.” I said, “But what?” I looked around not seeing anything else of interest in the ship and started heading for the lab. I walked over to an open worktable and set the cannister down.


    “Begin Synchronization.”


    The seam splitting the canister into two even parts glowed blue, the same lights as inside the ship. Whoa. Moment of truth. I twisted the canister feeling it break loose, setting both halves down carefully on the table.


    Inside, a blue-gray circuitry glowed around a single vile of material. I was still wearing my suit, as I was uncertain how safe the material was. I removed the vile from the canister, and the blue lights ceased strobing. The material appeared metallic in nature and had hints of blue throughout it. It’s likely this is the same material that the ship was composed of.


    “I’m no geologist, or metallurgist.” I said, “Would you like to tell me what this stuff is?”


    I carefully walked over to her microscope station and gently placed the vile in a holder. The advanced microscope pulled the vile into an enclosed chamber for viewing.


    “I guess I’m still a scientist. I hope that will do.” I said attempting to get any response.


    Hours went by in the lab, as I ran test after test. Numerous scans, and x-rays. The safety scans confirmed it posed no immediate danger to me. No radiation, no toxic chemicals, no biohazards. I had broken out of my suit once I knew for sure it was safe. I opted for my favorite pajama bottoms, and a sweatshirt. I still made sure to wear my lab coat over top. After all I was a scientist, I had to “look” the part.


    The scans I could run on the material didn’t offer much insight. The computer identified it as a carbon-silicon hybrid. A hybrid metal mixed with organic material.


    Now what? No messages had come through. I would have loved to send my data on the material back to Ground Station, but the ship had my outbound network jammed.


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    My wrist module lit up with a message. “Organic life forms detected aboard this vessel.” A live camera feed of the greenhouse was broadcast on the screen. Synchronization must have meant hacking the network. If they were going to hurt me, they could have already. They might change their mind though.


    “I bet you haven’t seen a garden that nice in orbit.” I said, “Aren’t they pretty?”


    The camera zoomed in on a tomato plant.


    “Did you find one you like? I can make some juicy tomatoes up here.” I said, “I’ll make a deal with you. You reveal yourself, and I’ll let you take that with you. You could get the seeds out of that one and make a whole crop of them. That’s the only one like it. A new species, orbitally grown.”


    The camera feed on her wrist module switched back to a message board. “A new species. Begin synchronization.”


    Synchronization? With a plant?


    “What exactly do you mean?” I asked, “Do you intend to catalogue how this material interacts with organic matter from that plant?” Those plants were the whole reason I was up here. I couldn’t risk carving them all up for this visitor. My entire mission would be ruined.


    My wrist module chimed again, “Proceed.”


    “Alright, let’s see what we can afford to lose,” I said. I grabbed some empty sample containers and headed for the greenhouse. Once inside, I picked up a pair of shears and began delicately pruning the leaf off the tomato plant.


    What do they think they’re going to find in the recesses of a tomato plant leaf. Were they from a rival lab? A competitor? Corporate espionage in space. Now that would be something.


    I went around, and grabbed some leaves from a corn stalk, strawberries, and a cucumber.


    I’ll need to test a few different florae to get a baseline of how it interacts with organic matter.


    I began to test how the material interacted with plant cells. I started with corn leaves, and moved onto strawberries, and cucumber. During the first few attempts, the material had completely absorbed the plant cells leaving no trace. They were aggressive to say the least, but I made a breakthrough with a tomato plant. The material fused with the tomato plant’s organic matter and peppered the leaf with blue spots. The veins of the leaf were also blue in color, but it wasn’t completely taken over like the other tests. The species'' ability to create hybrids was now reaching uncharted territory.


    “Synchronization detected.”


    The labs equipment and microscope were synced with the onboard computer system recording my findings.


    “It''s amazing, the cells are restructuring at a rapid rate,” I said, “This material, it’s almost like it’s alive.” I was surprised by another text. This time appearing on a nearby computer monitor.


    “I do not require cataloging. Synchronization complete.”


    “Funny coming from somebody who needs so much from me” I said.


    “Experiments must not be interrupted by exterior parameters.”


    I wondered what this experiment even was. I was a botanist, and the best in my field. But this material, this was metal. I had no clue what exactly the messages intended I accomplish.


    “What does that even mean?” I asked.


    Shortly after my exert, the gravity generators shut down. I began floating up across the lab, along with everything else not bolted down.


    “Oh, come on!” I said as I bobbed about looking for something to grab hold of.


    Another text appeared on the monitors. “Continue synchronization.”


    Chapter 3


    It had been days since I had contact with Ground Station. Why haven’t they sent a security team? They should have been here by now.


    I needed to find a way to get a signal out and tell the Ground Station what was going on.


    The radio was still jammed. Think Amelia! There must be something I can use.


    I reminisced of the times my father took me camping, he showed me different tricks with a flashlight. Like how to send an SOS.


    I walked over to the bay window in the greenhouse. I tried opening the metal shutters, but Eden blocked them from opening completely.


    “Experiments must not be interrupted by exterior parameters.”


    This person, or whatever hacked my station, was getting on my last nerves.


    “Come on, I need it for my garden. I need them to get some sunlight, growing plants in space is hard enough,” I said.


    I waited a few minutes, but no responses came. While I waited, I decided to locate a flashlight. After some rummaging through the storage locker, I eventually found one. I flicked it on, and it illuminated the cabinet with a bright white light. That will do.


    As I walked back into the greenhouse, the steel shade blocking the window rose into its resting place. It provided a breathtaking view of Earth. This was my chance. I casually held the flashlight at my side flipping it on and off sequentially. On and off three times rapidly, followed by three times slowly. Ground Station had to be watching the lab. Come on guys, don’t let me down.


    Meanwhile, I needed to keep my unwanted guest distracted from what I was doing.


    “Hey, are you there?” I asked.


    I looked around the greenhouse. I have my very own garden of Eden up here.


    “I never got your name. Maybe I should give you one. Would that be easier?”


    My wrist module lit up.


    “I do not require cataloging.”


    I rolled my eyes. Of course.


    “Your name isn’t your scientific genus, or species. Your name is your identity. And I would feel a lot safer If I had some idea of who you are,” I said.


    I took everything into account that I had learned about the mysterious voice, and this metal it brought me. It seemed to be obsessed with synchronizing with various materials and creating new ones. It merged with my tomato plant, creating a new hybrid.


    That was weird even by my standards.


    My wrist module began flashing various runes, some looked like galaxies. Others looked like stars or planets.


    Looking up from my module, I watched the many orbital platforms and satellites buzz around the backdrop of Earth. Looking for a response. It had only been days since I looked down on Earth, but it felt like an eternity.


    My very own garden of Eden up here. That was it.


    “Very well then! Since you haven’t been much for introductions, I have chosen a name for you. Eden! That’s what I will call you,” I said.


    A neighboring station floated past, and I noticed something peculiar. My heart sank.


    The porthole lights of the orbital platform were no longer visible. I looked at a few others and they were also covered in the dull blue grey illumination. The material coating the other labs bore a striking resemblance to the shavings from the vile.


    “Eden.”


    “What did you do?” I asked, “How many of you are there?”


    I was frantic. This couldn’t be happening.


    Oh my god. Oh my god. I’m trapped up here. I’ll never get out.


    The bay door began to close, covering up the window.


    That’s why the radio had been silent. That’s why nobody else responded. They were cutoff just like me.


    A cold reality was beginning to creep up my spine. This wasn’t a prank, or a test from the lab. This wasn’t even people. It was something else entirely. Even worse, I was on my own.


    “What did you do to those people? The other stations? I asked, “Did you kill them?”


    Eden switched off the overhead lights and gravity generators. The lab plunged into darkness, illuminated only by the labs’ computer monitors. I began floating up off the floor.


    I bobbed upwards resting against the ceiling and pushed off toward the workstation. The computer monitored expanded a star chart of galaxies, focusing on one and zooming in.


    I recognized it by the nine planets that orbited around the central sun.


    The Milky Way. Eden’s been studying us.


    “What are you going to do to me? Answer me, Eden,” I said.


    The screen popped up various exterior camera feeds from orbital stations. It looked like everything orbiting the planet was consumed by her.


    “Synchronization of all carbon-based life forms on this installation is not required.”


    I had been called many things over the years but never that. It made me nauseous.


    I pulled myself down again, attempting to login to the system. Each button I pushed did nothing. Eden had me locked out. I tried slamming my fist down on the screen. In zero gravity it made a dull thud against the monitor.


    “Access denied.”


    I began crying, I hadn’t in years. I floated upwards again as my tears separated from me. This was surely the end. I would never see my mom or dad again, or my friends at the main lab on Ground Station. I began to doubt if any of them were even alive. I sat there floating in the darkness, hopelessly lost.


    A female voice came over the station’s speaker, “Hello?” it asked.


    The voice was cutting in and out. It changed pitch and tone and repeated among static.


    A radio signal. Someone’s out there!


    “Hello! This is Dr. Amelia Flowers,” I said. “Can you hear me?”


    The frequency seemed to clear up.


    “Hello” the female voice said, “this is Eden.”


    “You have got to be kidding me,” I said.


    It talks now. Great.


    Chapter 4


    Out of all the plants on the station, it was always the Venus flytrap that I loved the most. As a carnivorous plant, the Venus fly trap boasts a trap door that is activated when insects search for nectar land inside. The leaves of the plant close, sealing the insect inside. Once the trap is sprung it begins to secrete digestive fluids dissolving their prey with enzymes to absorb nutrients. The species also had the ability to lay dormant for months, a standoff that could potentially outlast an external threat.


    I had already witnessed the rapid mutation between the tomato plant, and Eden’s alien make up. The data had been off the charts, the activity on a cellular level and beyond had changed the plants DNA.


    Eden must plan to synthesize all the plants in the lab. To replicate herself across all of it. To learn. To grow.


    Eden was evolving, and it terrified me. I had to come up with a way to stop her. I wasn’t in a great overall position, but I had a whole science lab at my disposal. There must be a way.


    I thumbed over the data from the tomato plant in the computer drives. Eden had given me access to that at least.


    “Eden, we need to conduct some fertilizer tests with your hybrid tomato sample. The data of the last results was corrupted,” I said. The trap was set.


    “Data passed initial screening.”


    I thought of my response with great caution. Eden detected things digitally via computer systems.


    “The specimen smells like it is decaying. We should test another sample,” I said.


    “Previous calculations are correct.”


    It was the type of cocky response I expected.


    “You can’t calculate a smell. This is human data, and I’ve spent years studying these specimens.” I said, “Don’t you need the best synchronization possible with these specimens?”


    I paced back and forth in the lab waiting for her response.


    “Please provide a new sample for synchronization.”


    She took the bait.


    “I''m going to test a sample of your material, with that of this specimen.”


    Doctor Flowers held up the gyro pot containing the Venus flytrap.


    “Proceed”


    There were a few samples of the liquid in cold storage. I retrieved one of them and began the process of heating it up back to room temperature to begin the experiment. Eden’s genetic makeup was incomparable to the biology that I knew and loved. She was a carbon-silicon based life form.


    Where did you come from, Eden? Are you some sort of AI cooked up in a research facility in deep space. Did you escape somehow? Eden could have been created in a lab, or maybe she was just way farther up the evolutionary chain than me.


    I shook the racing thoughts from my mind and added a portion of Eden’s shavings to the slide. Peering into the microscope, I was able to witness what no other human had seen before.


    Probably because everyone else is dead.


    “You are just full of surprises, Eden. The experiments show that you alter your DNA to produce carbon or silicon receptors to create a bond with other materials. Whichever works best,” I said.


    “I am capable of synchronization outside my origin.”


    That was the most Eden had ever told me about herself. It was a breakthrough.


    “You said origin. Did you come from another planet?”


    Learning the environment in which it thrived would help create the one in which it didn’t.


    “The data requested is not available.”


    “Well, it would sure make this experiment go faster. Also, I have a limited number of plant specimens onboard. We cannot waste anything.”


    These experiments were buying me time, but until what?


    Am I going to be the next test subject once all the plants have been poked and prodded?


    After the inhabitants of the greenhouse were turned into Eden’s metallic grays and blues. There was something more specific Eden was after.


    “I am going to begin adding your material to a different plant’s natural enzymes,” I said.


    I began adding the digestive enzymes of the Venus fly trap to the microscope slide, mixing it with just a few drops of Eden''s material. I hope the enzymes are strong enough to resist the genetic complexities of Eden’s synchronization process.


    If I could just break down Eden’s carbon-based form, that might hinder her capability to chemically bond with most substances. The silicon portion that was left over would still be able to carry biological information but would be limited to what elements it could bond with.


    Like throwing baking soda on a grease fire. Neutralization.


    Just like Eden had neutralized this station. Perhaps that was Eden’s mistake, to neutralize and not to kill.


    “You have been quarantined from your species.


    Calculations show minimal side effects to both groups.”


    I ignored her and studied the digestive enzymes battling it out with Eden. The closer to the plant''s optimal temperature of seventy to ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit, the more effective the enzymes were against Eden.


    “I wasn’t quarantined, I chose to be here. My research is very important. Unfortunately, I doubt anyone will ever hear about it,” I said.


    That was a lie. I was getting out of here one way or another. Even if I had to kill Eden to escape.


    I needed to find out what was going on at the other orbital stations, and on Earth.


    Did Eden deliver a vial to the other stations, and to experiment with what?


    “Eden, have you come across other life in the universe? Species like me?”


    I needed to distract her until the experiment was complete. I had to be sure the plan would work.


    “You are not alone in the universe. I am here.”


    I pushed my chair back from the microscope desk.  “No, you don’t get off that easy. You came all the way from deep space to here,” I said, “You didn’t see anyone else out there?”


    Most of my being hated Eden, but the scientist in me was still a little curious about her. Astronauts could only dream of visiting the places Eden has traveled through. Galaxies, nebulas, asteroid belts. Other worlds. What lead her here?


    “The data you requested is not relevant to the experiment.


    Please continue synchronization.”


    I intended to push her more; I needed to keep her distracted.


    “What would you do if we weren’t here? How would you synchronize then?” I asked.


    I looked forward to seeing her squirm out of this one. The station remained silent, so I decided to check on my experiment. Maybe I can get her to slip up and tell me something about her origin. Music began to pour out the speakers, gradually increasing in volume. It sounded like an old tune from the 1950s. The music faded out, and a man’s voice crackled through static.


    “Greetings, to anyone receiving this message. The year here on earth is 1962 but it might be different wherever you are. My name is Professor David Winslow. I am a scientist specializing in radio frequency. We offer you a warm welcome from Earth. Come meet us where the water meets the sky.”


    It was a radio transmission, something sent out into deep space decades ago!


    “Eden, is this what brought you hear? Did you follow the source of the transmission?” I asked.


    I waited patiently for her robotic voice to come back through the speakers. Instead, a clip of the recorded radio frequency replayed.


    “Where the water meets the sky.”


    It was very possible humanity killed itself decades ago, when Doctor David Winslow decided he was more important the rest of the world. She received that signal, that’s how she found us. In the early years of the space race, broadcasts were becoming increasingly powerful. Eventually, scientists began broadcasting radio signals deep into space. The plan was to study how these signals reacted in space, and among celestial bodies. The longshot was a hope that if we weren’t alone in the universe, someone else would hear it. Eden did.


    “Please proceed with synchronization.”


    I strode back over to the microscope, getting settled into my station.


    “Potential threat detected. Please dispose of current sample.”


    I looked through the microscope and was struck by a fresh wave of hope. The digestive enzymes had completely dissolved the carbon-based material of Eden. The resulting reaction had concentrated the silicon into a tight cluster.


    “Hold on, I need to record the reaction,” I said.


    The lights from across the station began shutting off, one by one as they got closer to my desk. “Okay, okay, Eden! I need to record this reaction if I’m going to protect you from it,” I said.


    A high frequency noise shot out of the intercom blasting my ears with excruciating pain. I went down on my knees, clutching my ears. Whatever she had done, it felt like my brain was melting.


    “Dispose of the sample.”


    I had finally figured out a way to stop Eden. She had figured it out too.


    Chapter 5


    Waking slowly, I lifted my head up off the floor. My head still pulsated with a splitting headache. I must have passed out from whatever that sound was that Eden played. The situation had escalated rapidly, and I had to plan my next move. Sitting upright on the floor, my nerves still shook my body.


    “You could have killed me, asshole!” I said, “I was trying to seal up the sample when you did that.”


    There was no reason to lie anymore. Eden knew everything.


    I started crawling over to the microscope, then into my chair. The microscope was still powered on. The sample! Where is the sample?


    Removing the slide containing her material, I inspected it under the light. It had turned completely blue.


    Very clever. Eden had detected a threat to her carbon-based structure, so she improvised. She mutated, decreasing her carbon footprint; and traded it out for silicon.


    “Eden, are you still here?” I asked.


    “Threat detected. Quarantine protocols have been activated.”


    The digestive enzymes were proven to break down Eden’s structure, but there’s not nearly enough to free the lab. There would need to be an additional supply for the other orbital stations Eden had taken over. And a better delivery method than a liquid dropper and a microscope slide. The enzymes would have to be artificially reproduced. We could retrieve the digestive enzymes out of every Venus fly trap on the planet, and it wouldn’t make a dent in Eden. Ground Station will need my data, it’s the only hope we have of stopping her.


    “Synchronization of this station is complete.


    I will now assist your planet with synchronization.”


    I ran to the greenhouse window, activating the exterior canopy. Eden didn’t stop me. The door rose giving a view of earth, and the other orbital platforms that neighbored Semir One. One by one, I watched in horror as they broke orbit, plummeting downward toward the planet.


    Thousands of people are aboard those stations!


    “Oh my god! Eden, stop it! Stop this! What are you doing?” I asked.


    Attached to each station was a ship exactly like the one Eden had arrived aboard. Gray-blue pulsations were illuminated around the outsides of each station.


    That''s how Eden invaded Earth.


    The lab began to spit awkwardly as it broke orbit.


    Theres still time, I can still make it to the escape pod!


    I rushed over to the computer mainframe, yanking out the backup hard drive.


    I’m not leaving here empty handed! I’m going to take my research and stop her once I get to the surface! I stuffed the hard drive, in one of my lab coat pockets, and looked around for a sample case. I found a sterile one in a cabinet and placed Eden’s neutralized sample inside.


    Next, I ran into the greenhouse and picked up the Venus flytrap. I quickly sealed it in a gyro-pot and double checked the seals. One last thing to grab before I escape this prison.


    My last stop was the lab freezer, and the rest of the digestive enzymes stored there. After retrieving them, I sprinted for the escape pod. No big deal, just escaping a falling space lab with what might be humanities last hope for survival!


    The station shook violently as I reached the escape pod. I began to fasten my cargo inside the escape pod. I climbed into the pilots’ seat and started punching commands into the guidance system. I disengaged the docking collar, releasing the pod from the station. The computer screen buzzed with a warning.


    “OVERRIDE DETECTED”


    “No, no, no! There''s no time,” I said, attempting to clear the error.


    “Vectoring descent to your point of origin.”


    A cold chill crept down my spine. Eden! She was aboard the capsule, nestled in the computer system!


    “Please don''t kill me,” I said.


    The capsule shuttered at it began entering earth’s atmosphere.


    “Proceeding to quarantine zone.


    Selected specimens will be present for synchronization.”


    As the pod began breaking into the lower atmosphere, I peeked out the porthole window to get a glimpse of earth. Some remnants of orbital labs were still plummeting or impacting on the ground. Such a waste of life. As I looked at the surface, something was off about it. Much of the lush green vegetation was gone, now replaced with a dark gray hue.


    What had Eden done? How many others had she killed?


    “Eden, what did you do?” I asked.


    “Synchronization of your planet nearing completion.


    Your assistance is required for further analysis.”


    The parachutes deployed with a dull thud, and my already queasy stomach filled with butterflies. What have I done? I helped her infect my whole world! All those people on the orbital platforms. Were they killed because I found a way to neutralize her? I began to break down and cry. I wished I could just wake up from this nightmare. I hoped to be done with Eden for good.


    The escape pod finished its descent to earth with the inflation of airbags located underneath. The pod had touched down on one of the main launchpads of Ground Station Control.


    “Welcome home, Doctor.”


    It was Earth, but it didn’t feel like home. Not to me. Not with Eden here.


    With the final nerve being struck, I unlatched the exterior hatch and projectile vomited onto the ground. My torso hung outside the hatch, until I finished convulsing. Once I gained my composure, I looked out across the landing pad to see a group of Ground Station employees waiting about a hundred yards away.


    Usually when space workers return to earth, there would be a certain amount of fanfare from their companies or organizations. Music, cheering, and welcoming signs. Something to appreciate the success of the mission. Not today. An eerie silence hung over the crowd.


    I began to climb down out of the escape pod, avoiding the puddle of vomit. I looked around, taking in the areas that used to hold well-manicured grass. The grass was still there, but the bright greens were long gone. They had been replaced with Eden''s signature gray, dappled with bright blue dots.


    This is why you had me run the experiments. To synchronize with the plant life on earth. All of it.


    My earpiece chirped with Eden’s voice.


    “Where the water meets the sky.”


    THE END